Mahmoud Khalil "kidnapped" by plainclothes officers in newly released video of arrest
New York, New York - A newly released video captures the disturbing arrest of Columbia University Palestine liberation activist Mahmoud Khalil, who remains in custody amid a court challenge.
"You're going to be under arrest, so turn around," a plainclothes officer tells Khalil in a video of last Saturday's arrest shared on social media.
"There's no need for this," Khalil says as he is handcuffed.
"We have you. You're going to have to come with us," the officer in a T-shirt responds.
The agents then escort Khalil to a vehicle as his wife Noor – who is eight months pregnant – calls their lawyer for help. The officers refused to answer her questions, including which agency was carrying out the arrest.
"You're watching the most terrifying moment of my life," Noor said in a statement Friday.
"This felt like a kidnapping because it was: Officers in plainclothes – who refused to show us a warrant, speak with our attorney, or even tell us their names – forced my husband into an unmarked car and took him away from me. They threatened to take me too, even though we were calm and fully cooperating," Noor continued.
"For the next 38 hours after this video, neither I or our lawyers knew where Mahmoud was being held. Now, he's over 1,000 miles from home, still being wrongfully detained by US immigration."
Mahmoud Khalil defends free speech rights as he fights detention
Khalil, who is a permanent resident of the US, was a prominent figure in the Palestine liberation movement at Columbia University.
Born in a Syrian refugee camp, Khalil has been locked up at LaSalle Detention Facility in Louisiana since he was taken from his home in New York.
The Trump administration has sought to justify Khalil's arrest citing a provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act which reads: "An alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States is deportable."
Lawyers have fought to get Khalil transferred back to the New York City area, but he is expected to remain in Louisiana after his first hearing this past week. US District Judge Jesse Furman previously ruled Khalil could not be deported from the US "unless and until the Court orders otherwise."
In a new filing Thursday, attorneys argued the activist's arrest violated the constitutional rights of free speech and due process.
On top of that, the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced it had sued Columbia University on behalf of Khalil and seven other students over its alleged violation of student privacy rights and First Amendment protections in turning over private records to the US government.
"Mahmoud is clearly the first of many to be illegally repressed for their speech in support of Palestinian rights," Khalil's wife, Noor, said Friday. "Everyone should be alarmed and urgently calling for the freedom of Mahmoud and all other students under attack for their advocacy for Palestinian human rights."
Cover photo: Collage: The Family of Mahmoud Khalil/Handout via REUTERS