Jayapal Statement on the Release of Mahmoud Khalil

“Today’s judicial ruling that Mahmoud Khalil had to be released from ICE detention is a critical step on the road to justice. Mahmoud Khalil will finally be reunited with his wife and newborn baby, whose birth he missed while unjustly detained by the Trump Administration for more than three months.

“His detention has been a stain on our immigration and justice system in this country: an attack on the constitutional free speech protections guaranteed to every single person in our country, utilizing the immigration system to prevent him from engaging in this constitutionally protected political speech.

“In this case, as in several others, we see the Trump Administration is continuing to simply target people of all legal statuses, including legal permanent residents and even U.S. citizens, simply for disagreeing with their administration in any way. That is not American and is a gross violation of all of our fundamental rights. Every single person in America should understand that if this Administration can do this to Mr. Khalil, they can do the same thing to you.

“Today, I celebrate with Mahmoud Khalil and his family. There is more work to do to bring full justice to this situation, and to stop the attacks on so many across this country.”