Mahmoud Khalil Freed from ICE Detention in Jena

JENA, La. (KALB) - Pro-Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil was released from Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena on June 20, shortly after 6:30 p.m.

According to a report from the Associated Press , Judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey ordered his release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.

Outside the processing center, Khalil spoke with the press about his feelings for those still detained.

“I leave some incredible men behind, over 1,000 people behind, in a place they shouldn’t have been...The Trump Administration is doing its best to dehumanize everyone here. Whether you are a U.S. citizen, an immigrant or just a person of this land, doesn’t mean you are less of a human.”

Mahmoud Khalil

Khalil said he could not wait to return home to simply hug and his wife and his newborn son. He has been detained in Jena since early March 2025. Officially, he was held for 104 days.

“No one is illegal, no human is illegal, that’s the message. The message is: justice will prevail no matter what this administration may try to portray, portraying that immigrants are whether criminals or any of that, trying to do all of this now. This simply is not true and just to keep the fight against this administration.”

Mahmoud Khalil

“After more than three months, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and know that Mahmoud is on his way home to me and Deen, who never should have been separated from his father,” said Dr. Noor Abdalla, Mahmoud Khalil’s wife. “We know this ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others the government is trying to silence for speaking out against Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians. But today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family, and the community that has supported us since the day he was unjustly taken for speaking out for Palestinian freedom.”

On June 11, Judge Farbiarz ruled that Khalil cannot be deported or detained for foreign policy reasons as argued by the Trump Administration and ordered his release to go into effect on June 13.

However, Farbiarz later rejected Khalil’s request for release . The U.S. Department of Justice argued that “while Khalil can’t be detained based on (Secretary of State Marco) Rubio’s determination, according to the judge’s ruling, he can be detained for other reasons.”

The Trump Administration claims Khalil, a green card holder who gained permanent residency status, was not truthful in his green card application.

Khalil is accused by the federal government of allegedly leading “activities aligned to Hamas.”

Khalil gained permanent residency status in November 2024.

Amnesty International released the following statement on Khalil’s release:

“After more than three months of being unjustly detained by the Trump administration, a judge ordered that Mahmoud Khalil can finally return home, hug his wife, and hold his baby.

Mahmoud Khalil should never have been detained in the first place.

Freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and due process are human rights – they cannot be negotiated or denied. Mahmoud Khalil has been punished simply for his role in student protests at Columbia University against the Israeli government’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. His case has been used by the Trump administration to chill freedom of expression and threaten others for daring to speak out for Palestinians’ human rights.

As we celebrate the ruling ordering Mahmoud Khalil’s release on bail, we call on the Trump administration to immediately comply with this order. Furthermore, the Trump administration must stop using threats, detention, intimidation and other authoritarian practices as political weapons to suppress the right to protest.

Colleges and universities must take immediate and concrete action to ensure that all members of their communities can speak out or dissent on any issue without fear of harassment, detention, or deportation.”

Mahmoud Khalil’s life and the lives of so many others have been turned upside down due to the Trump administration’s cruel political games. We, and so many others, will continue to monitor the developments in his case until he is finally home with his family and free from these unlawful attacks on his human rights.”

Amnesty International

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