Mahmoud Khalil Accuses Columbia of Complicity in ICE Arrests
Rabat– On Saturday, April 5, Columbia University's student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, published a letter from Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian born in Damascus and currently detained at the Lasalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana. Khalil has made global headlines, as he was arrested for leading peaceful pro-Palestinian protests in 2024 during his time as a student at Columbia.
Dictated and verified by his attorney, Amy Greer, the letter is addressed to the university, which Khalil accuses of facilitating his 'abduction' by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and to the student body, which he urges 'must not abdicate their responsibility to resist oppression.'
'Since my abduction on March 8, the intimidation and kidnapping of international students who stand for Palestine has only accelerated,' Khalil wrote, referring to the intensifying crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices across the US.
He named fellow Columbia students who have also been detained, as well as others 'beyond the gates of Columbia,' including Yunseo Chung, Ranjani Srinivasa, and Dr. Badr Khan Suri.
Khalil drew parallels between the current US climate and the repression he fled under Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, where he sought refuge in Lebanon before arriving in the US where he is currently a lawful permanent resident.
Khalil described his arrest as part of 'Columbia's repression playbook concerning Palestine,' and accused the university of not only ignoring the mass killing of Palestinians since Israel's escalation of violence in Gaza in October 2023, but of adopting the language of the Israeli government and Western media to justify Israel's genocide.
'You received countless emails from former University President Minouche Shafik, former Interim President Katrina Armstrong, and various deans manufacturing public hysteria about antisemitism without once mentioning the tens of thousands of Palestinians murdered under bombs made of your dollars,' Khalil wrote, emphasizing the university's complicity and the rationale behind ongoing protests and encampments demanding divestment from companies supporting Israel.
Columbia's endowment, valued at approximately $13.6 billion, is managed with strict confidentiality and does not disclose its specific investments or their geographic allocation. Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a student-led campaign, has called for divestment from companies accused of supporting Israeli apartheid, occupation, and genocide including Airbnb, Caterpillar, and Google — each facing scrutiny for their ties to Israeli Occupation Forces' actions and government policies. .
Khalil also condemned the university's weaponization of 'antisemitism' to suppress dissent, noting that Columbia shared student disciplinary records with Congress and established a task force on 'antisemitism' that falsely equates anti-Israel activism with hate speech in order to delegitimize protest.
The soon to be father further criticized Columbia's 2020 partnership with Tel Aviv University, which is another endorsement of Israeli occupation and apartheid. 'In light of the dual-degree program with Tel Aviv University, I can't help but think that if I were in Palestine, some of these students would be the ones stopping me at checkpoints, raiding my university, piloting the drones surveilling my community, or killing my neighbors in their homes,' Khalil wrote, referring to pro-Israel students who sought to provoke peaceful protesters, some of whom have served in the IOF and later returned to campus to claim victimhood.
Even from detention, Khalil paid tribute to slain Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, who was intentionally targeted and killed by Israel in March, bringing the number of journalists and media workers killed by the entity since October 2023 to over 208.
'I did all this because I believe in the Palestinian cause. I believe this land is ours, and it has been the highest honor of my life to die defending it and serving its people,' Khalil quoted from Shabat's posthumous social media message, echoing the call for continued resistance and student solidarity in the fight for Palestinian liberation.
'History will redeem us, while those who were content to wait on the sidelines will be forever remembered for their silence,' Khalil concluded.
The letter was published amid nationwide 'Hands Off' protests drawing millions across all 50 states, with demonstrators voicing frustration over the Trump administration's economic and social agenda. Pro-Palestinian groups also joined large-scale marches in Washington, condemning the administration's support for Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza and its suppression of student protests and freedom of speech.
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