The wife of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested on Saturday, has urged his fellow activists, supporters and people at large to continue pressuring the authorities for his release. Mr Khalil, a Palestinian refugee raised in Syria, was taken into custody by ICE agents when he was returning to his university-owned residence.
The couple had just returned from an Iftar dinner after breaking their fast when ICE agents confronted them. In a statement released Tuesday night through a spokesperson working with Mr Khalil's lawyers, his 8-month pregnant wife, a US citizen, pleaded for his release before the birth of their child.
"Watching this play out in front of me was traumatising. It felt like a scene from a movie I never signed up to watch," Mr Khalil's wife said.
"Instead of putting together our nursery and washing baby clothes in anticipation of our first child, I am left sitting in our apartment, wondering when Mahmoud will get a chance to call me from a detention centre."
"US immigration ripped my soul from me," she said.
Mahmoud Khalil, who played a key role in last spring's pro-Palestinian encampment protests at Columbia University, was also a student negotiator in discussions with varsity officials. The former Columbia University graduate's detention has now triggered protests across the country, with students and faculty staging walkouts demanding his release.
According to court filings, four plainclothes Homeland Security officers confronted Mr Khalil in the lobby of his apartment building. When his wife retrieved his immigration documents, confirming his status as a lawful permanent resident, one agent reportedly reacted with surprise, saying, "He has a green card." Despite this, Mr Khalil was taken into custody without any explanation.
His wife said agents ordered her to go upstairs or face arrest as she tried to stay by his side. "We were not shown any warrant, and the ICE officers hung up the phone on our lawyer," she said.
ICE initially claimed his student visa had been revoked, but his attorney, Amy Greer, clarified that he held a green card, not a student visa.
Mr Khalil's wife revealed he had been worried about recent threats and a "targeted doxxing campaign" against him. A day before his arrest, he had emailed a Columbia University official, expressing his fears and requesting legal support.
"I haven't been able to sleep, fearing that ICE or a dangerous individual might come to my home. I urgently need legal support and I urge you to intervene," Mr Khalil had written.
His wife said the official, identified in court filings as Columbia's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, did not respond.
After his arrest, Mr Khalil's wife released a statement obtained by Newsweek. She said, "I urge you to see Mahmoud through my eyes as a loving husband and the future father to our baby. I need your help to bring Mahmoud home, so he is here beside me, holding my hand in the delivery room as we welcome our first child into this world. Please release Mahmoud Now."
On Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Mr Khalil's removal from the United States while reviewing his case, according to court documents. For now, Mr Khalil remains in custody at a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana.
A federal court hearing in New York City is scheduled for Wednesday. His arrest has sparked an outcry from civil rights groups. His legal team filed a habeas corpus petition contesting his detention.
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