Overview

• Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and green card holder, is being detained by ICE under a rarely used Cold War-era law allowing deportation over foreign policy concerns.
• The Trump administration argues Khalil's activism poses national security risks, though no criminal charges or material links to terrorism have been substantiated.
• Nationwide protests, including a bridge shutdown in Boston, demand Khalil's release, framing his detention as an attack on free speech and human rights.
• Legal experts warn the case could set a precedent for deporting legal residents based on political speech, raising constitutional concerns about First Amendment protections.
• Khalil's wife, a U.S. citizen in her eighth month of pregnancy, and his legal team describe his detention conditions as inhumane and detrimental to his ability to mount a defense.