logo
Mahmoud Khalil wants to 'hold accountable' Trump officials who sought his deportation

Mahmoud Khalil wants to 'hold accountable' Trump officials who sought his deportation

The Nationala day ago

Following his release from immigration detention, Palestine activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil wants those in the Trump administration who sought his deportation to be held responsible.
"I want to make sure that everyone who contributed to my arrest will be held accountable," he told National Public Radio in one of his first interviews since being released on Friday.
"That's something I'm also looking forward to, because now I can defend myself."
Mr Khalil, a legal US resident who played a prominent role in pro-Palestine campus protests last year, had been held in Louisiana since his March arrest.
His detention was part of the administration of President Donald Trump's crackdown on so-called anti-Semitism on university campuses. The administration has deemed pro-Palestine protests to fall under this umbrella.
The White House had accused Mr Khalil of spreading Hamas propaganda at the protests.
The State Department revoked his green card under a little-used provision of immigration law granting the Secretary of State the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is considered adverse to US foreign policy interests.
His release on bail came after a series of legal challenges over the past few months.
'[The] petitioner is not a flight risk,' Judge Michael Farbiarz said on Friday. 'He's also not a danger to the community.'
Mr Khalil was ultimately detained for 104 days. During that time, he missed the birth of his son.
"Missing the birth of Deen, I believe that was the most tragic event that happened to me in my life, and last month, after so much pressure, they allowed me to hold him for an hour," the activist told NPR.
Mr Khalil has described himself as a political prisoner and said his arrest was indicative of anti-Palestinian racism in the US.
He told NPR that his legal issues have little to do with the law, and more to do with chilling free speech on the topic of Palestine.
"They want the protests to stop because they expose this administration's and this government's hypocrisy when it comes to human rights, when it comes to self-determination," he said, adding that the Department of Homeland Security has yet to accuse him of breaking any laws.
"They absolutely showed me nothing. They had over 100 days to do that, and I dare Trump, [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio, and their administration to substantiate these claims with anything, because they did not refer to anything," he explained.
Mr Khalil has since rejoined protests at Columbia University.
Meanwhile, the Trump White House has said it plans to appeal against the decision to release him from custody and has claimed that Mr Khalil lied on application for a green card. He has denied this claim.
"Trump basically thinks that he creates the law and people should follow," Mr Khalil said.
"So, the fact that the federal judge ordered my release meant that Trump is basically no king."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Early intelligence assessment finds US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear sites, report says
Early intelligence assessment finds US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear sites, report says

The National

timean hour ago

  • The National

Early intelligence assessment finds US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear sites, report says

An early US intelligence assessment has found that the weekend strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites did not destroy them, according to reports. The strikes, which hit the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan sites, failed to destroy the core components of Iran''s nuclear programme and probably only set it back by months, CNN and AP said on Tuesday, quoting sources. The assessment was carried out by the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's intelligence arm, and is based on a battle-damage assessment conducted by US Central Command after the strikes. CNN reported that two sources said Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium had not been destroyed, and that the centrifuges are largely 'intact". The report noted, however, that analysis was continuing and could change as more intelligence becomes available. The White House denied the veracity of the "alleged assessment" and said it had been leaked by "an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community". US President Donald Trump, speaking after the strikes, called them a "spectacular military success" that destroyed Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," he said in a national address on Saturday night. Speaking at the Pentagon the next day, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US had 'devastated' Iran's nuclear programme, although the strikes were "intentionally limited". Iranian state media, however, said that all three sites had been evacuated and their contents moved before the bombings. Satellite imagery from the days ahead of the US strikes showed some unusual activity near the Fordow site. Sixteen lorries could be seen near the site's tunnel entrance before apparently moving away a day later, according to satellite imagery firm Maxar. New lorries and several bulldozers appeared close to the main entrance by Friday, with one truck very close to the main tunnel entrance, Maxar said.

US intelligence report scales back claims on damage to Iranian nuclear facilities: Report
US intelligence report scales back claims on damage to Iranian nuclear facilities: Report

Middle East Eye

time2 hours ago

  • Middle East Eye

US intelligence report scales back claims on damage to Iranian nuclear facilities: Report

CNN reported on Tuesday that an initial assessment of the strikes by the US Defence Intelligence Agency was that the main components of Iran's nuclear programme were intact and likely only set back by months. This flies in the face of Trump saying that the US air strikes 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme. The White House trumpeted its bombing of Iran's Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz enrichment complexes as a major military feat that surprised Iran. Israeli military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, also said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes had set back Iran's nuclear programme "by years'. But like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he suggested the conflict with Iran could continue and was "entering a new phase'. The leaked intelligence reports suggest much less damage was done. One source briefed on the assessment of the Department of Defence's intelligence wing said Iran's centrifuges are largely 'intact'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that just five days into the war, its inspectors lost track of Iran's 409 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium. That amount, which could be easily transported in a container by truck, is enough for 10 nuclear warheads if Iran were to pursue weaponisation. 'This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement. An Arab official briefed on the matter told Middle East Eye that Iran had received advance warning of the US strikes. Amwaj Media previously reported that Tehran was notified before the US attacked. Before Israel's attack, Iran and the US were in talks to curb the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his country was willing to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme, according to state media. Pezeshkian held calls with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed. Pezeshkian told his Emirati counterpart "to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights', referring to its nuclear programme. "It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was "ready to resolve the issues... at the negotiating table". But the sting of US-Israel strikes could make restarting talks more difficult. On Tuesday, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the national security and foreign policy commission in Iran's parliament, said cooperation with the IAEA should be suspended, the Iranian Students' News Agency reported. 'Victory' Iran and Israel on Tuesday both declared 'victory' after a US-brokered ceasefire ended 12 days of unprecedented conflict between the two foes, which culminated in the US bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. "We have achieved a historic victory," Netanyahu said in a televised speech on Tuesday, as he warned that Israel could again strike Iran at its discretion. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon…We have thwarted Iran's nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt," he added. But the Islamic Republic, the first country in the Middle East to go toe-to-toe with Israel since the 1973 war, also claimed a win. Pezeshkian said Iran had achieved a "great victory', according to state media. Israel achieved air superiority over Iran, knocking out its air defence systems. It killed scores of senior Iranian commanders, destroyed energy infrastructure and military production sites. But the Islamic Republic has set its benchmark on the fact that not only did it survive a war with Israel, but it also managed to strike major Israeli cities and military targets almost at will. Iran will come away feeling that it's domestically produced weaponry was able to keep up with cutting-edge western technology, poking holes in the widely assumed superiority of Israel's air defence systems. Israel and Iran's victory posturing suggests the fragile ceasefire announced by Trump on Monday night is holding. But despite the ceasefire mostly holding, the US president erupted in anger earlier on Tuesday, saying that Iran and Israel "have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the fuck they're doing'. Although his anger was directed at both countries, Israel bore the brunt of Trump's fury for what he said was military action jeopardising the ceasefire. Trump accused Israel of bombing Iran after the ceasefire was announced and then preparing to launch massive strikes in retaliation for an Iranian missile that he said may have been fired 'by mistake'.

US Supreme Court allows deportation of migrants to third countries
US Supreme Court allows deportation of migrants to third countries

Middle East Eye

time2 hours ago

  • Middle East Eye

US Supreme Court allows deportation of migrants to third countries

The US can resume deporting undocumented migrants to third countries without giving them a chance to contest their destinations, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The decision by the conservative-dominated top court came in response to an emergency appeal by the Justice Department to lift a stay imposed by a lower court on so-called third-country deportations - meaning sending migrants to countries they do not originate from. Three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented, but the decision went ahead in a 6-3 vote. The Supreme Court did not explain the decision. Justice Sotomayor, author of the dissent, accused the administration of "flagrantly unlawful conduct" that is "exposing thousands to the risk of torture or death". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard," Sotomayor said. The original case challenging third-country deportations will now be heard by an appeals court, but the Supreme Court's move allows the removals to proceed for now. Third countries that the Trump administration has deported undocumented migrants to include El Salvador, South Sudan and Libya. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) celebrated the Supreme Court decision as a "victory for the safety and security of the American people" and could now 'clean up this national security nightmare'. "If these activists judges had their way, aliens who are so uniquely barbaric that their own countries won't take them back, including convicted murderers, child rapists and drug traffickers, would walk free on American streets," DHS said in a post on X on Monday. 'DHS can now execute its lawful authority and remove illegal aliens to a country willing to accept them. Fire up the deportation planes.' 'Meaningful opportunity' In April, district judge Brian Murphy from Massachusetts ordered a halt to third-country deportations, saying migrants were not being given a "meaningful opportunity" to contest their expulsions. Murphy ruled they should get at least 15 days to challenge their deportations and provide evidence of whether they may be at risk of torture or death if expelled. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court at the end of May to fast-track the deportation to South Sudan of eight men from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, and South Sudan. Only one of the eight was originally from South Sudan. The government said they had all been convicted of crimes. US Supreme Court upholds widely condemned immigration expulsion policy Read More » Murphy blocked the deportation on 21 May, saying it violated his April court order. The men were being flown to South Sudan, a country that has been decimated by war, when Murphy's order came down. The men were then taken to a US military base in Djibouti. Reuters reported that the men are reportedly living in a converted shipping container while waiting for a decision on whether their deportation to South Sudan will continue. Both Libya and South Sudan have denied any direct coordination with the US on agreeing to accept deportees. The Trump administration has defended the third-country deportations as necessary, saying the home countries of some of those who are targeted for removal often refuse to accept them. During both his first and second terms, President Donald Trump has promised to remove millions of undocumented migrants from the US. He has undertaken a number of measures to fast-track deportations since returning to the White House in January. Numerous courts have blocked some of these attempts, including the Supreme Court, over concerns that due process rights of migrants are being ignored.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store