How Mahmoud Khalil became the Trump administration's top target | Real Talk

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“The existence of a Palestinian student or pro-Palestine students on campus is an issue for [Columbia].” Mahmoud Khalil became the face of the US government’s crackdown on pro-Palestine protests across American campuses. A Columbia University graduate, he was one of the lead negotiators during Columbia’s Gaza solidarity encampments, a movement that quickly spread across universities worldwide. When the US government arrested and detained him earlier this year, it drew national and international attention, as well as widespread condemnation. Mahmoud spent more than 100 days in an ICE detention centre in Louisiana, even missing the birth of his first son after authorities denied him temporary release. Freed on bail by a federal judge in June, Mahmoud reunited with his wife and newborn. But now, a US immigration judge has ordered his deportation to either Algeria or Syria, citing claims that he omitted information from a green card application. His lawyers are appealing the decision, pointing to federal court orders that bar the government from deporting or detaining him. In this Real Talk conversation, we reflect on what Mahmoud saw, experienced and endured, and what it all reveals about America. Real Talk is hosted by Mohamed Hashem. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:40 How’s the baby? 02:58 Life of normalcy? 08:08 Fixing the system from inside 14:44 Anti-Palestinian sentiment at Columbia 21:00 Becoming lead negotiator 32:44 Students expelled by Columbia 40:40 Easier for them to smear us than engage us 44:35 Legacy of encampments 47:10 Our existence as Palestinians is an issue for Columbia 53:10 Being smeared & doxxed 59:20 Being arrested by ICE 01:16:40 Missing birth of his son 01:26:49 Democrats out of touch 01:33:35 Dealing with media ------ Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at [email protected] Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye