Mahmoud Khalil is a Palestinian rights activist and current U.S. legal permanent resident. Unfortunately, he is still going through an unimaginable separation from his new baby boy, as he is still in detention. Khalil was arrested in New York on March 8. Ever since, he has been detained without any due process afforded to him in the government’s own rules on a military installation in Louisiana. His wife, Noor Abdalla, has done the 15-hour trip from New York to Louisiana with their month-old baby. The journey was originally intended to plan an exciting first encounter between father and son, but all Khalil could do was look at his baby through glass.
Khalil, in turn, was born in one of those same camps in Syria. He went on to graduate from Columbia University where he became an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights. His recent detention is a direct result of implementation of such an arcane immigration law recently activated by the Trump administration. This legal maneuver has resulted in considerable debate over the treatment of immigrants and expansion of due process rights to immigrants.
Noor Abdalla expressed her anguish over the situation, stating, “After flying over a thousand miles to Louisiana with our newborn son, his very first flight, all so his father could finally hold him in his arms, Ice has denied us even this most basic human right.” She described in emotive terms the impact the separation had on her family. The heartache of being separated at such a formative time in their lives was a tremendous burden.
Khalil himself shared his sorrow through a statement made during his detention: “Like other Palestinian fathers, I was separated from you by racist regimes and distant prisons. In Palestine, this pain is part of daily life … The grief your mother and I feel is but one drop in a sea of sorrow that Palestinian families have drowned in for generations.”
Khalil’s precarious state has galvanized advocacy organizations and other Columbia University graduates. At both commencement ceremonies, mourners and attendees shouted enthusiastically and collectively, “Free Mahmoud! This public support is an indicator immigration policy, ICE, deportations and separating families are all serious concerns.
In a poignant reflection of the challenges faced by families in conflict zones, Khalil lamented the moments he has missed with his son: “My heart aches that I could not hold you in my arms and hear your first cry, that I could not unfurl your clenched fists or change your first diaper.” These words show the emotional weight of being away from each other at such pivotal points in their lives.