20,000 signatures reached
To: Congress, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE Director, Federal Courts, University Officials
Free Mahmoud Khalil and protect students exercising their First Amendment rights!
Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was unlawfully arrested and detained for exercising his right to protest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite his status as a permanent resident. President Donald Trump threatens there will be “many more” arrests as he escalates his assault on our fundamental rights. Trump is targeting political dissent and free speech by weaponizing the Department of Homeland Security and ICE against his critics—and we have to fight back.
Sign the petition to demand Mahmoud Khalil be immediately released and threats against his legal status be dropped! And call on members of Congress and university leaders to protect and defend the right for students to organize and protest.
Why is this important?
Revoking Khalil’s permanent status solely for political reasons sets a dangerous and disturbing precedent, leaving activists across social movements vulnerable. Right now, Trump is targeting pro-Palestinian rights activists. But tomorrow it could be those fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice, or abortion access.
Trump is testing the extent of his executive powers and his ability to intimidate and instill fear in everyday people who dare to speak out and protest. That’s why we need to speak out and stop him here and now.
Trump recently threatened federal funding of more than 60 universities and colleges, using the wave of student protests that erupted last year in defense of Palestinian rights as an excuse for yet another round of brutal cuts to public services. Columbia University, where Khalil went to school, is among the the targets, with the administration cancelling $400 million in federal funding.
Trump does not care about safety or ensuring our schools are welcoming spaces. He has actively been gutting the services that would do just that. Instead, this is yet another power grab—a way to divide everyday people, silence dissenters, gut our public programs, and strip away our rights.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. For generations, students at campuses have protested and changed the course of history. Sign the petition to demand our leaders protect this fundamental right.