New Jersey court documents reveal that the federal government defended its warrantless arrest of Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, initially claiming an arrest warrant existed when none did. The ACLU and Khalil's legal team are challenging the government's actions, arguing that Khalil is a political prisoner.
New documents unveiled in a New Jersey court on Thursday reveal that the federal government is defending its warrantless arrest of Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil . These documents were submitted to counter attempts by Khalil 's lawyers to secure his release. Khalil has been held in a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, for six weeks.
In a filing made in Newark federal court, a lawyer representing the Department of Homeland Security stated on Monday that agents conducting surveillance on Khalil on March 8 were informed that he could be removed from the country because his presence or activities could have serious adverse foreign policy ramifications for the United States. The lawyer recounted that as Khalil walked on a sidewalk with his wife, a Homeland Security Investigations agent approached, identified himself, and, after Khalil's wife retrieved documents confirming his lawful residence status, asked him to cooperate while they attempted to verify his identity. However, Khalil allegedly refused to cooperate, stating his intention to leave the scene. At that point, the supervising Homeland Security agent believed there was a flight risk and deemed an arrest necessary.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) contested this account in a press release Thursday, asserting that the claim of a flight risk was false and contradicted by video footage of the arrest captured by Marc Van Der Hout. Khalil's lawyer, Van Der Hout, stated in the release that agents informed Khalil, upon his arrest, that they possessed an arrest warrant. However, it was only this week, with the government's new filing, that his lawyers learned there was no warrant. Amy Greer, a lawyer who was conversing with Khalil and the arresting agent on the night of the arrest, stated that Khalil remained calm and complied with orders, even as agents failed to produce an arrest warrant. Greer emphasized that the government's admission that no warrant existed is astounding and constitutes an outrageous attempt to justify the unlawful arrest and detention of human rights defender Mahmoud Khalil. She argues that Khalil is now, by the government's own admission, a political prisoner of the United States. Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident and graduate student, served as the spokesperson for campus activists last year during significant demonstrations at Columbia University protesting Israel's treatment of Palestinians and the war in Gaza. He was detained by federal agents in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment on March 8, marking the first arrest under the Trump administration targeting an individual based on their political beliefs, rather than criminal conduct
Khalil Anwar Arrest Columbia University Trump Administration Homeland Security Immigration Civil Liberties Activism Palestine Free Speech
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