Mahmoud Khalil says he’s a ‘political prisoner’ in 1st statement since arrest

'Justice escapes the contours of this nation’s immigration facilities,' Khalil said in a lengthy statement from inside a Louisiana detention facility.

Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist who was detained by U.S. immigration authorities 11 days ago, is speaking out from a detention centre in Jena, Louisiana for the first time since his arrest.

In a statement to the Guardian, Khalil said he was “a political prisoner … bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against a great many people precluded from the protections of the law.”

In his remarks, which you can read in full, Khalil accused the Trump administration of targeting him “as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent,” adding that “visa-holders, green-card carriers and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs.”

Khalil, who is a permanent U.S. resident and married to Noor Abdalla, an American citizen, was detained in New York on March 8 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the role he played in last spring’s pro-Palestinian protests on the grounds of Columbia University.

Khalil says the agents who arrested him “refused to provide a warrant” before threatening deportation and to revoke his green card.

“At that moment, my only concern was for Noor’s safety,” he said. “I had no idea if she would be taken too, since the agents had threatened to arrest her for not leaving my side.”

Following his arrest, Khalil was transferred to a holding facility in New Jersey before being flown to Louisiana, where he remains.

On Tuesday, from his cell, Khalil detailed his experiences in detention and queried the fundamentals of U.S. law.