Jayapal Statement on the Continued Detention of Mahmoud Khalil

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, released the following statement after the deadline passed for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to respond to her letter demanding answers on the detention and attempted deportation of Mahmoud Khalil:

“Let me be very clear: what the Trump Administration is doing to Mahmoud Khalil severely undermines the constitutional free speech protections guaranteed to every single person in our country. Khalil is a legal permanent resident of the United States and was simply standing up for what he felt was right. Whether you agree with his stance or not, the Constitution protects the ability of Mr. Khalil to speak his mind and to protest in this country. The administration has yet to show any meaningful evidence to justify his detention in a Louisiana detention center far from his family, or the stripping of his green card.

“With Ranking Members Jamie Raskin and Mary Gay Scanlon, I asked four very simple questions of Secretaries Rubio and Noem. They have failed to respond to those questions or provide any documents or information that would provide reasonable grounds for Khalil’s detention.

“Since Khalil’s arrest, more individuals are being disappeared and detained simply for expressing their views and with no due process. Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student on a valid F-1 academic visa, was detained with no explanation of what she is being charged with along with scores of others. It is also being reported that the Trump administration is working on plans to block colleges from accepting any foreign students if the school is deemed too ‘pro-Hamas,’ simply for allowing legal protest and freedom of expression on their grounds. The Trump Administration is censoring free speech, abandoning Constitutional protections, and hurting the rights of all Americans. If President Trump refuses to uphold the rights of free speech and due process for some, he destroys those rights for all.”

Jayapal led over 100 Members of Congress in demanding answers regarding Khalil’s detention and his attempted deportation.

Issues: Civil Rights, Immigration