Khalil Returns to Columbia Amid Ongoing Deportation Fight

Mahmoud Khalil stood before a crowd of approximately 100 people at Columbia University on Tuesday, his first appearance on the Manhattan campus since his arrest in March. The 31-year-old graduate returned to discuss his new memoir, No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention, while navigating the tension between his supporters and university officials who had previously authorized police to clear protesters from the grounds.

Khalil framed his return as a victory, but he said he also saw it as a response to an institutional effort to silence Palestinian voices. "They chose brutality. They chose repression," he told AFP, referring to Columbia's decision to allow the New York Police Department to disperse students during the 2024 demonstrations. The university, which maintained the protests posed a safety threat, defended the event through a spokesperson who stated that an invitation to speak does not signify university endorsement of a speaker’s views.

The visit drew mixed reactions from the campus community. Some Jewish groups voiced opposition on social media, while a Columbia spokesperson emphasized the institution’s commitment to rigorous debate and respectful dialogue across differing perspectives. Khalil, who held permanent US residency at the time of his detention, was held for three months without criminal charge during a federal crackdown on foreign student activists.

He was released from immigration custody on June 20, 2025, but the legal battle continues as the Trump administration seeks his deportation. Khalil used the platform to argue that student advocacy has reshaped the political environment in the United States. "The American public is finally changing, is finally looking at the Palestinian as an equal human," he said. He pointed to recent electoral gains by progressive candidates, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as evidence of this shift.

Khalil acknowledged the personal strain of his public role, describing a desire to return to a life where he could visit the park with his son and wife without interruption. "A big part of my fight is like fighting for normalcy," he said. Yet he maintained that his case extends beyond his personal status. "My fight is not only about whether I get to stay in this country," he added. "It is about whether, you know, people in this country can speak their minds."