Overview

• A federal judge ordered Khalil’s release in June after over 100 days in Louisiana custody under a rarely used immigration law provision tied to U.S. foreign policy interests.
• The Department of Homeland Security filed an appeal arguing that only an immigration judge can grant bail and that Khalil remains a threat to national interests.
• Hundreds of supporters and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez welcomed him back to New York City, where he spoke on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
• Khalil missed the birth of his first child while in detention and pledged to persist in pro-Palestinian activism and advocate for other detained protesters.
• Civil rights organizations and Democratic lawmakers have condemned his detention as politically motivated and a violation of his First Amendment rights.