John,

I’m horrified by this weekend’s illegal abduction and detention of U.S. legal permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil. Without any warrants or charges, plainclothes immigration agents arrested him for exercising his First Amendment rights and participating in pro-Palestine student protests at Columbia University. Refusing to identify themselves, the agents even threatened to arrest his wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant.

Federal agents first told Khalil that the State Department revoked his student visa. When they were told that he was actually a legal permanent resident with a green card, the agents were confused but then said the State Department “revoked that, too.” They hung up on Khalil’s attorney who demanded a warrant. Then the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) effectively disappeared Khalil for days, denying him access to legal counsel and to family visitation.

These are illegal violations of Khalil’s constitutional rights to free speech and due process, and this is a threat to all Americans who engage in political protest. Trump warned: “This is the first arrest of many to come,” saying he plans to imprison and deport more students involved in protests. We cannot be silent in the face of this lawless abuse of power. We cannot allow fascist targeting of people for expressing their political opinion.

We must keep ramping up public pressure to release Mahmoud Khalil. A federal judge temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation until a court hearing TODAY.

I led 13 of my colleagues in a letter demanding the Trump administration immediately release Khalil—including Al Green, Jasmine Crockett, Nydia M. Valázquez, and more. Will you join us?

Please add your name to join our call and demand Mahmoud Khalil’s immediate release from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody.

DHS only provided information about Khalil’s whereabouts after a New York court filed a legal petition to challenge his detention, revealing that DHS had transferred him over 1,300 miles from his home to an ICE facility in Louisiana. They have still not charged him with any crime. The American Civil Liberties Union has called these moves “unprecedented.”

Our Congressional letter not only demands Khalil’s immediate release, but also calls on the Department of Homeland Security to “immediately refrain from any further illegal arrests targeting constitutionally protected speech and activity.”

We will not let the Trump administration shred our constitutional rights to free speech and due process. The right to dissent is a foundation of democracy. Criminalizing protest is not only intended to silence the U.S. solidarity movement with Palestine, but is also a threat to all Americans who dare to speak out against our government.

Since last spring’s campus protests, when police arrested over 3,500 students across the country, universities have put in place new rules to suppress dissent, surveil students, and increase campus collaboration with law enforcement.

Now the new presidential administration could further endanger students with visas, the 13 million green card holders in our country, and even U.S. citizens. In a New York Times article titled, “This is the greatest threat to free speech since the Red Scare,” Michelle Goldberg writes: "a government this willing to disregard the First Amendment is a danger to us all."

The article also quotes Margo Schlanger, a law professor who served in Obama’s administration as the DHS head of civil rights. Affirming that all people in this country have the same free speech protections as citizens, she said: “I teach constitutional law. And I’m freaking out.”

We must speak up—if Trump gets away with this, his administration will target more students, protesters, and people who disagree with him. We will resist this authoritarianism together.

Please sign on now to demand Mahmoud Khalil’s immediate release from DHS custody and speak out against the Trump administration’s illegal, unconstitutional, and unacceptable actions.

Thank you for continuing to stand up for our rights and our shared humanity.

With you in this fight,

Rashida