THE Bishop of New York, the Rt Revd Matthew Heyd, has called for the immediate release of a Palestinian former student, Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested and is facing deportation, despite being a legal permanent resident in the United States.
Bishop Heyd posted on Facebook: “In the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, our First Amendment right to freedom of expression faces growing threat. We ask for his immediate release, and his return to New York.”
Mr Khalil, whose American wife is eight months pregnant, is a Columbia University graduate. He has a green card and is, therefore, legally resident in the US, but the government is seeking his deportation over his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. Born in Syria, he moved to the US to study before marrying. He was heavily involved in Columbia’s student-led protests over the war in Gaza, acting as spokesman for protesters. Jewish students reported that they had faced anti-Semitic harassment during the protests.
In a letter released from detention on Tuesday, Mr Khalil described himself as a “political prisoner”. “My arrest was a direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza, which resumed in full force Monday night,” he said.
Mr Khalil was arrested on 8 March by immigration officials, who said that they were seeking to deport him under a provision of federal law that gives the US Secretary of State the power to deport someone if their continuing presence in the US is deemed to “have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States”. He is currently being held in a detention centre in Louisiana.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump wrote: “ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University.”
He went on to say that the arrest was the “first of many to come”.
Mr Khalil’s arrest has sparked protests and also fear among international students in the US.
Bishop Heyd said: “In accordance with our faith and civic creed, we uphold the belief that difference and dissent should be safe. We reject deportation based on political standpoint — whether we agree or disagree.
“Today, we stand with our neighbours at Columbia University. We also encourage Columbia to protect its students when they are threatened. Higher education depends on the ability to speak honestly and freely, without fear of retribution, and on attracting people of diverse and international standpoints.”
In a later interview on the television channel MSNBC, he described the immigration raids as “purges”.
Human-rights groups have also protested that the arrest is an assault on free speech.
Last week, a US district judge temporarily blocked authorities from deporting Mr Khalil, but kept him in detention.
New York is one of several Episcopal dioceses in the US that have declared themselves to be “sanctuary dioceses”. It allows its churches to offer sanctuary to immigrants who fear arrest because of their legal status.
One of President Trump’s immediate actions after his inauguration was to remove the guidance banning immigration raids on places of worship and schools.
