Sign the petition: Demand freedom for Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil!

TELL CONGRESS: The Trump administration's illegal detention of Mahmoud Khalil is shocking and a clear violation of the constitution. Sign the petition: Release Mahmoud Khalil from federal detention now! ADD YOUR NAME Harris, Mahmoud Khalil is not accused of a crime. Yet, the Trump administration targeted, arrested, and illegally detained Khalil because he exercised his First Amendment rights to free speech, protest, and dissent.1 Specifically, Trump targeted Khalil because of his role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. Trump is sending ICE after legal U.S. residents like Khalil, and detaining and deporting people without due process — even defying court orders to execute the admin's cruel, lawless policies. Our elected leaders in Congress can't stand by while Trump holds Khalil and others like him in illegal detention. Sign the petition: Urge Congress to demand an end to ALL of Trump's illegal detentions and deportations. Stop the president's attacks on the First Amendment right to protest. ADD YOUR NAME In a recent letter from federal detention, Khalil said "I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against a great many people precluded from the protections of the law."2 Khalil and many others are experiencing harsh treatment, illegal detention, and a lack of due process—a cornerstone of the American rule of law. The Trump admin is spuriously saying that Khalil's role in protests means he's a "Hamas supporter."3 The implication that pro-Palestinian protesters are "Hamas supporters" is a dangerous, ridiculous line of propaganda that's been spread by the GOP, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and others to attack protesters and, now, detain Khalil. Khalil's detention is designed to spread terror throughout immigrant communities and the movement to oppose Trump. Our leaders in Congress must not let the illegal detention of Khalil nor the Trump administration's attacks on free speech continue. Sign the petition: Free Khalil! Thanks for taking action, Joey and the team at Demand Progress Sources: The Nation, "Mahmoud Khalil Is 'Ready to Fight' His Unlawful Detention," March 18, 2025. NBC News, "Mahmoud Khalil says he was 'targeted' for pro-Palestinian beliefs in letter from ICE facility," March 19, 2025. Reuters, "US immigration agents arrest Palestinian student protester at Columbia University in Trump crackdown," March 10, 2025.   Contributions to ActBlue Civics and Demand Progress Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Instagram or Twitter. Receiving too many emails from Demand Progress? You can opt to pause emails from Demand Progress for a month. And of course you can unsubscribe from this list at any time.