New Orleans activists make the trek to protest Mahmoud Khalil's detention
Demonstrators gathered across from the Central Louisiana ICE facility in Jena to protest Mahmoud Khalil's detention on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (John Gray/Verite News)
JENA – A group of protesters headed Thursday from New Orleans to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in LaSalle Parish to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil. The former Columbia University student and pro-Palestine activist was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March and has since been held in detention.
Khalil was in immigration court Thursday for a hearing on a motion from his attorneys to terminate his deportation proceedings and release him. The hearing, which began in the morning, was still ongoing by mid-afternoon.
By early afternoon, hundreds of protesters had gathered in the grass across from the detention facility, chanting, flying Palestinian flags and playing drums. Some members of the group kneeled and prayed on the street.
Khalil, a legal permanent resident who was born in Syria, faces deportation for his involvement with pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia last year. He is one of a number of people the Trump administration has detained over their political activities in the last several months, drawing alarm from free speech activists.
Kristi Dayemo, 29, arrived at First Grace Methodist Church on Canal Street for a bus ride to the ICE facility in Jena, along with other New Orleans residents.
Dayemo said she comes from a service-oriented family and that she has a spirit to help people. Her parents raised her to have a duty to make the world a better place.
'If we allow him to be arrested without a warrant and deported from this country it calls into question all students that aren't from here, whether or not they're allowed to have their First Amendment rights,' Dayemo said.
On the way to the facility from New Orleans Thursday morning, organizers handed out snacks and prepared the riders for their day of action. Sabrine Mohamad, a human rights lawyer traveling with the group, spoke to riders on the bus ahead of the arrival to Jena.
'Today is so much bigger than Mahmoud, it's so much bigger than all of the students that have been kidnapped by ICE. This is really a vital moment in the history of the United States democracy and Palestine,' Mohamad said.
On the way to the facility, organizers handed out snacks and prepared the riders for their day of action. Protesters discussed current events, while removing biometric authentication from their phones and writing loved ones' phone numbers on their arms in preparation for potential arrests.
Sabrine Mohamad, a human rights lawyer traveling with the group, spoke to riders on the bus ahead of the arrival to Jena.
'Today is so much bigger than Mahmoud, it's so much bigger than all of the students that have been kidnapped by ICE. This is really a vital moment in the history of the United States democracy and palestine' Mohamad said.
Once arriving in Jena, the New Orleans protesters joined with another group that had come in from Texas. Organizers disembarked from their buses, prepared their drums and signs and began marching towards the ICE detention center. The group was greeted by facility guards who kept them from setting foot on the property.
Noor Abdalla, Khalid's wife, came out to the crowd to thank them for their demonstrations, saying that they are keeping Khalil going as he faces deportation. Abdalla had visited with Khalil on Thursday with their newborn son, Deen. It was his first meeting with the boy, who was born while Khalil was in detention.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
15 minutes ago
- CNN
Officers throw flash bangs to disperse crowd protesting immigration enforcement in Los Angeles
Federal immigration authorities carried out enforcement activities at businesses across Los Angeles on Friday, prompting clashes outside at least one location as authorities threw flash bangs to try to disperse a crowd that had gathered in protest. Immigration advocates confirmed at least 45 people were arrested without warrants across seven locations, including two Home Depots, a store in the fashion district and a doughnut shop, said Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, at an afternoon press conference denouncing the activity. Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfill President Donald Trump's promise of mass deportations. Todd Lyons, the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended his tactics earlier this week against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. He has said ICE is averaging about 1,600 arrests per day and that the agency has arrested 'dangerous criminals.' Protests recently broke out after an immigration action at a restaurant in San Diego and in Minneapolis when federal officials in tactical gear showed up in a Latino neighborhood for an operation they said was about a criminal case, not immigration. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass said the activity was meant to 'sow terror.' 'As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place. These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,' Bass said. Salas, of CHIRLA, echoed that language. 'Our community is under attack and is being terrorized. These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families throughout this country and picking up our people that we love must stop now,' Salas said, surrounded by a crowd holding signs protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE declined to discuss the details of its operations. The agency said it routinely makes arrests of noncitizens 'who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws,' said an emailed statement from an unnamed spokesperson. Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, told the Los Angeles Times that federal agents were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. In Los Angeles, videos from bystanders and television news crews captured people being walked across a Home Depot parking lot by federal agents as well as clashes that broke out at other detention sites. KTLA showed aerial footage of agents outside a clothing store in the fashion district leading detainees out of a building and toward two large white vans waiting just outside in a parking lot. The hands of the detained individuals were tied behind their backs. The agents patted them down before loading them into the vans. The agents wore vests with the agency acronyms FBI, ICE and HSI for Homeland Security Investigations. Armed agents used yellow police tape to keep crowds on the street and sidewalk away from the operations. Aerial footage of the same location broadcast by KABC-TV showed officers throwing smoke bombs or flash bangs on the street to disperse the people so they could drive away in SUVs, vans and military-style vehicles. The station showed one person running backward with their hands on the hood of a moving white SUV in an apparent attempt to block the vehicle. The person fell backward, landing flat on the ground. The SUV backed up, drove around the individual and sped off as others on the street threw objects at it. Immigrant-rights advocates used megaphones to speak to the workers, reminding them of their constitutional rights and instructing them not to sign anything or say anything to federal agents, the Los Angeles Times reported. Katia Garcia, 18, left school when she learned her father, 37-year-old Marco Garcia, may have been targeted. Katia Garcia, a US citizen, said her father is undocumented and has been in the US for 20 years. 'We never thought this would happen to us,' she told the Los Angeles Times. Eleven of the LA City Council's 15 members issued a statement accusing federal immigration agencies of 'an egregious escalation.' 'This indiscriminate targeting of children and families not only harms the individuals who are directly impacted, but destroys our communities' sense of trust and safety in their own homes,' the statement said.
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. Bar Association seeks more immigration lawyers amid ICE arrests
Organizations are seeking more volunteer immigration attorneys in the San Francisco and Concord immigration courts as immigration officials make more arrests, the National Lawyers Guild of San Francisco said Friday. The organization, which posted the request on behalf of the Bar Association of San Francisco, said volunteer attorneys are needed 'now more than ever' to provide legal help to immigrants during Executive Office for Immigration Review dockets. The plea for help comes days after 15 people — including a 3-year-old child — were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during their scheduled check-ins at the agency's San Francisco office. Last week, four people were arrested at the San Francisco Immigration Court by ICE agents waiting in the lobby. The arrests marked a first in taking immigrants into custody who were actively and legally attending immigration court, said advocates, who vowed to fight the detentions. Among those arrested at the courthouse was Miguel Angel Lopez, a father of three and grandfather of one, who had been living in Livermore for 27 years and pursuing his permanent residency, his wife, Rosa Lopez, said. The National Lawyers Guild said ICE officials are moving to have immigration cases dismissed in order to arrest and rapidly deport people. The Bar Association of San Francisco asked lawyers who are willing to volunteer — as legal representatives in immigration courts or for unrepresented immigrants who call the organization's Attorney of the Day hotline — to contact them.
Boston Globe
35 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Immigration authorities carry out enforcement activity across Los Angeles amid crowds of protesters
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Law enforcement detained a protester at the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, in Los Angeles. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press Advertisement Protests recently broke out after an immigration action at a restaurant in San Diego and in Minneapolis when federal officials in tactical gear showed up in a Latino neighborhood for an operation they said was about a criminal case, not immigration. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass said the activity was meant to 'sow terror.' 'As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place. These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,' Bass said. Salas, of CHIRLA, echoed that language. 'Our community is under attack and is being terrorized. These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families throughout this country and picking up our people that we love must stop now,' Salas said, surrounded by a crowd holding signs protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advertisement ICE declined to discuss the details of its operations. The agency said it routinely makes arrests of noncitizens 'who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws,' said an emailed statement from an unnamed spokesperson. Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, told the Los Angeles Times that federal agents were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. Angelica Salas, of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, spoke outside the Federal Building after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday. Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press In Los Angeles, videos from bystanders and television news crews captured people being walked across a Home Depot parking lot by federal agents as well as clashes that broke out at other detention sites. KTLA showed aerial footage of agents outside a clothing store in the fashion district leading detainees out of a building and toward two large white vans waiting just outside in a parking lot. The hands of the detained individuals were tied behind their backs. The agents patted them down before loading them into the vans. The agents wore vests with the agency acronyms FBI, ICE and HSI for Homeland Security Investigations. Armed agents used yellow police tape to keep crowds on the street and sidewalk away from the operations. Aerial footage of the same location broadcast by KABC-TV showed officers throwing smoke bombs or flash bangs on the street to disperse the people so they could drive away in SUVs, vans and military-style vehicles. Advertisement The station showed one person running backward with their hands on the hood of a moving white SUV in an apparent attempt to block the vehicle. The person fell backward, landing flat on the ground. The SUV backed up, drove around the individual and sped off as others on the street threw objects at it. Immigrant-rights advocates used megaphones to speak to the workers, reminding them of their constitutional rights and instructing them not to sign anything or say anything to federal agents, the Los Angeles Times reported. Inmates board up the US Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons during Friday's protest. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press Katia Garcia, 18, left school when she learned her father, 37-year-old Marco Garcia, may have been targeted. Katia Garcia, a U.S. citizen, said her father is undocumented and has been in the U.S. for 20 years. 'We never thought this would happen to us,' she told the Los Angeles Times. Eleven of the LA City Council's 15 members issued a statement accusing federal immigration agencies of 'an egregious escalation.' 'This indiscriminate targeting of children and families not only harms the individuals who are directly impacted, but destroys our communities' sense of trust and safety in their own homes,' the statement said. Rodriguez reported from San Francisco and McAvoy from Honolulu. Associated Press writer Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California, contributed.
