Dear Friend,

Last week, you mobilized to ask your representatives to stand up for Mahmoud Khalil’s rights. Because of your efforts and others, a letter from the House of Representatives, led by Ranking Members Pramila Jayapal, Jamie Raskin, and Mary Gay Scanlon, received a total of 103 signatures demanding answers about Mahmoud’s arrest and detainment.

Now, there is a senate letter led by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin and Constitution Subcommittee Ranking Member Peter Welch about Mahmoud’s case. The letter expresses strong concern that attempts by the federal government to punish an individual simply for espousing political views is wrong and violates the First Amendment. Significantly, it also admonishes the Trump administration’s abuse of immigration laws to punish Mahmoud.

We need your voice once again. Please urge your senator to sign on to this letter. Signatures are due by TOMORROW, Tuesday, March 18th at 2PM.

As for the update, attention to Mahmoud’s case continues to grow. I'm sharing a few articles below, including one from last week from the CATO Institute that explains why Mahmoud's case is a test case and another article about a Columbia student who had her student visa revoked because of her advocacy on Palestine. Similarly to Mahmoud’s case, an official government social media account shamefully singled her out with disinformation. Finally, the Secretary of State says what is traditionally the quiet part out loud—we will continue our politically motivated unconstitutional actions. The pattern is not only clear, but also quite public as a matter of declared policy. And it is part of the larger attack on the rule of law in our country.

Be sure to take action today and call on your senators to join the call to protect Mahmoud.

Maya

DAY 9 - MAHMOUD KHALIL NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Edward Luce from the Financial Times emphasizes the danger of the Trump Administration's actions in Mahmoud's case.

“Every American should worry about Mahmoud Khalil, the recent Columbia University graduate who was detained last week by US immigration authorities, though “abducted” would be a better description. It is no exaggeration to say Khalil’s fate is a test of how easily President Donald Trump can slide into lawlessness…Should Trump get his way, his licence to punish any speech that he deems pro-terrorist or against the US national interest would make him judge and jury on first amendment rights. It would put every US citizen — not just permanent residents — at risk.”

https://www.ft.com/content/bcd39cd0-9995-4409-b525-853cdcdb98bf

How a Columbia Student Activist Landed in Federal Detention

“Mahmoud Khalil never shielded his face with a mask the way some protesters did. That made him a target when President Trump decided to move aggressively against campus activists. . . Many other international students wore masks and kept to the background of the protests, for fear of being singled out and losing their visas. His wife worried. “We’ve talked about the mask thing,” Noor Abdalla, a 28-year-old dentist from the Midwest, said in an interview last week. “He always tells me, ‘What I am doing wrong that I need to be covering my face for?’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/nyregion/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-university.html

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, “We’re going to keep doing it,” when asked about Mahmoud's arrest.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Mahmoud Khalil, an activist who is being detained by federal immigration authorities, is "going to leave — and so are others."

"We're going to keep doing it."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marco-rubio-mahmoud-khalil-arrest-face-the-nation/

Politically Motivated Deportations: The Mahmoud Khalil Test Case

“Trump’s own statement that Khalil’s deportation under Section 237(a)(4)(C)(i) was “to be the first of many” was inherently prejudicial and would also seem to raise potentially serious constitutional and statutory red flags that might significantly impact judicial review of Khalil’s case. Such a statement suggests a predetermined enforcement campaign targeting multiple individuals rather than individualized determinations based on specific evidence.”

https://www.cato.org/blog/politically-motivated-deportations-mahmoud-khalil-test-case

How a Columbia Student Fled to Canada After ICE Came Looking for Her

“I’m fearful that even the most low-level political speech or just doing what we all do — like shout into the abyss that is social media — can turn into this dystopian nightmare where somebody is calling you a terrorist sympathizer and making you, literally, fear for your life and your safety,” Ms. Srinivasan said in the interview on Friday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/nyregion/columbia-student-kristi-noem-video.html

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