The Green Party has issued a statement demanding the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement this month. The party is calling for his return to New York City pending the resolution of his court case.
Khalil was arrested by federal agents earlier this March, with the Department of Homeland Security alleging that Khalil led activities aligned with Hamas, citing his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University last year. Khalil’s attorney has contended that he has no proven ties to Hamas and has committed no crimes. A federal judge has temporarily halted Khalil’s deportation while legal proceedings continue, with hearings scheduled for later in the month.
According to the Green Party’s statement made Tuesday, it argues that Khalil has not been charged with any crime and that his continued detention at the LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana is a violation of his First Amendment rights. It further alleges that Khalil has been targeted for his political speech and warns that his detention represents a broader threat to civil liberties.
Jennifer Sullivan, spokesperson for the Green Party National Women’s Caucus, described the case as “a horrifying obstruction of the lawful exercise of First Amendment rights, and possibly an illegal move to revoke the status of a lawful resident of the United States.” She warned that Khalil’s case could set a precedent for broader crackdowns on political dissent.
Green Party co-chairs Cassandra Lems and Joseph Naham also condemned Khalil’s detention. Lems called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release him immediately and criticized the Trump administration’s current deportation policies. Naham framed the arrest as part of a larger effort to suppress opposition to U.S. foreign policy, accusing the administration of weaponizing historical laws to justify repression.
Below is the full text of the statement issued by the Green Party:
The Green Party of the United States condemns the Trump administration’s threatened deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, an Algerian citizen Green Card holder targeted for his pro-Palestine activism. The Green Party also demands his immediate release, and that he be returned to New York City pending the resolution of his court case.
On March 8, agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) arrested Khalil in his home, revoked his Green Card and moved him to the LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana. Khalil participated as a spokesperson in recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University. He is not known to have engaged in any unlawful activities and was not charged with any crime.
The administration has based their rationale for deportation on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, whereby migrants may be removed if the Secretary of State deems that their presence is incompatible with U.S. foreign policy.
“This is a horrifying obstruction of the lawful exercise of First Amendment rights, and possibly an illegal move to revoke the status of a lawful resident of the United States,” said Jennifer Sullivan, Spokesperson for the Green Party National Women’s Caucus. “This action is a test for future use of the Act against a much broader segment of the population for protest of any kind.”
Cassandra Lems, co-chair of the Green Party of the U.S. said: “Greens demand that ICE release Khalil immediately. We further call on the Administration to cease mass deportation efforts. It is a cruel effort to escalate the Trump administration’s terrorism against immigrants.”
Joseph Naham, co-chair of the Green Party of the U.S. said: “Fascist policies don’t just brand anti-Zionist and anti-genocide movements as antisemitic—they weaponize this distortion to crush resistance itself. Enacting repression against those who oppose Zionism and genocide is not just complicity—it is an act of antisemitism, co-opting Jewish identity to shield apartheid and silence dissent.” He added, “Greens call on schools and protesters to refuse to be complicit in a federal government waging terror on students and immigrants, attempting to weaponize the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a 200-year-old relic of authoritarianism, to justify its crackdowns.”
The Green Party platform states that “The Green Party stands firmly for social justice for all living in this country regardless of immigration status. Above all, policy and law must be humane. Anything less would be inconsistent with our Green Values, and with our nation’s values.” Further, “When the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one vulnerable group, everyone’s rights are at risk.”
“Khalil lied on his visa application and now there’s new evidence that he may well have known about the 10/7 attacks before they started”
https://ace.mu.nu/archives/414184.php
Khalil lied on his visa application and now there’s new evidence that he may well have known about the 10/7 attacks before they started, but of course the Greens, Libertarians, and the rest of the woke mob are quick to jump to his defense. I wonder what else about his terrorist associations isn’t public information yet for national security reasons.
Release its corpse the same way “palestine” “released” hostages… U+1F60F