The Trump administration has made clear that if you dare to disagree with the president, you will be punished.

That was the message when ICE agents illegally arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and recent graduate student at Columbia University, in retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian human rights. He was separated from his wife, an American citizen, who is nine months pregnant, and shipped from New York to New Jersey and then to Louisiana.

Mr. Khalil has never been accused, charged, or convicted of any crime. He was ripped from his home, detained and threatened with deportation in retaliation for his political beliefs. His case represents a clear attempt by Trump to silence dissent, chill speech, take over our universities, and attack our freedom.

And he is not alone. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked hundreds of visas of students and visitors for similar reasons.

On this episode, we’ll talk about the details and the stakes of Mr. Khalil’s case – in which the NYCLU is co-counsel. Then in a separate segment, we’ll get into the paper-thin legal theory the Trump administration is wielding to justify detaining and trying to deport Mr. Khalil.

Mr. Khalil’s legal team includes the New York Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU, the ACLU of New Jersey, the City University of New York’s CLEAR clinic, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Alina Das of Washington Square Legal Services, Van Der Hout LLP and Amy Greer of Dratel + Lewis.

Image credit: Gaby Díaz-Vendrell / Columbia Daily Spectator

Guests:

Donna Lieberman: NYCLU Executive Director

Bobby Hodgson: NYCLU Assistant Legal Director

Alina Das: professor, immigrant rights attorney, and co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law. Co-counsel on Mr. Khalil’s civil rights case.

Resources:

More on Mr. Khalil’s case: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/mahmoud-khalils-case-is-a-canary-in-a-coal-mine

https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/mahmoud-khalil-is-just-the-first-victim-of-trumps-unconstitutional-crackdown

More on the NY for All Act: https://www.nyclu.org/resources/campaigns-actions/campaigns/new-york-all-act

Tell Gov. Hochul to sign the New York Health Information Privacy Act: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/tell-gov-hochul-safeguard-abortion-access

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

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