Khalil Returns to Columbia 10 Months After 3-Month Detention
The activist says campus advocacy has changed how Americans view Palestinians, even as Columbia leadership and local groups debate his return.
By Dominic Foster ·
Mahmoud Khalil returned to the Columbia University campus on Tuesday for the first time since his detention in March.
The 31-year-old graduate held a book event for his memoir, No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention, drawing approximately 100 attendees. He was arrested by immigration authorities on March 8, 2025, and held for three months without criminal charges despite possessing permanent residency.
Khalil credited the 2024 student demonstrations for shifting public opinion in the United States. He told AFP that the American public is finally viewing Palestinians as equal humans. He also noted a rise in progressive candidates for political office, specifically naming Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The visit was not without tension. Some Jewish groups on social media opposed his return to the campus. Khalil accused university leadership of trying to erase Palestinian voices during his absence. He stated that Columbia chose brutality and repression when it authorized the New York Police Department to clear protesters from the Manhattan campus in 2024.
Columbia responded that it supports faculty members organizing academic events. A university spokesperson said an invitation to speak does not mean the university endorses the speaker's views. The school said it remains committed to rigorous debate and respectful dialogue across differing perspectives.
Khalil was released from immigration custody on June 20, 2025. The Trump administration continues to seek his deportation. He described his personal fight as one for normalcy, aiming to return to a life where he can take his son and wife to the park without interference.
He maintained that his legal battle is about the right of people in the country to speak their minds. The event marked his first public appearance at Columbia since the start of his immigration detention.
