A federal judge denied Trump’s request and ordered Mahmoud Khalil’s case moved from a handpicked conservative court in Louisiana to New Jersey. Now is the time to pressure our elected officials to demand his release. Will you join our phone bank this Monday at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT?

Dear MoveOn member,

Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil has been detained by ICE for nearly two weeks after being unlawfully arrested, in spite of being a legal U.S. resident, in retaliation for his political speech on campus.

Trump’s State Department has even said that he's not being charged with a crime, and Trump has promised Mahmoud’s arrest was the first of “many to come.”¹ If a legal U.S. resident who hasn’t been charged with a crime can be disappeared, anyone is up for grabs in Trump’s America. This isn’t just about one person—it’s about defending everyone’s right to free speech and political protest.

With a federal judge rightly ordering Mahmoud’s case to be transferred from Trump’s handpicked conservative Louisiana court to New Jersey, now is the time to ramp up pressure on our elected officials.² We must demand they take action for Mahmoud’s release and in defending our fundamental rights to free speech and protest.

Will you join our phone bank this Monday at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT to mobilize MoveOn members in key districts to call their representatives and demand they take action for Mahmoud’s release?

Mahmoud’s wife, Noor, is now preparing for the arrival of their first-born child this month alone. Photo source: New York Post, Reuters

Mahmoud was abducted from his home in front of his 8-month-pregnant wife by plainclothes ICE officers who refused to identify themselves, show a warrant, or even acknowledge his rights. The officers even hung up on his lawyer when she called. When his wife, Noor, asked the arresting officers for more information, they threatened to arrest her, too. This is Trump’s authoritarian playbook in action—silencing dissent by jailing and deporting those who speak out. We cannot idly watch as Trump escalates his attacks on free speech.

Join our phone bank this Monday at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT to urge MoveOn members to call their representative and demand they fight for Mahmoud’s release and our right to free speech and protest.

Trump is threatening public funding for over 60 universities, using last year’s student protests for Palestinian rights as a pretext for brutal cuts.³ Columbia University, where Mahmoud attended school, is among the targets, losing $400 million. We can’t let Trump weaponize deportation and public education funding for his agenda. Join Monday’s phone bank to demand Mahmoud’s release and defend free speech, because if a legal U.S. resident can be disappeared without cause and without due process, no one is safe.

Thanks for all you do.

–Mia, Aliya, Joel, Nakia and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Trump promises more arrests after pro-Palestinian activist detained by ICE,” Axios, March 10, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203432?t=7&akid=429697%2E40999114%2Eit0Q8d

2. "Judge transfers case of Columbia student facing deportation to New Jersey,” New Jersey Monitor, March 19, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203433?t=9&akid=429697%2E40999114%2Eit0Q8d

3. "Trump Officials Warn 60 Colleges of Possible Antisemitism Penalties,” The New York Times, March 10, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203254?t=11&akid=429697%2E40999114%2Eit0Q8d

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