Mahmoud Khalil’s wife gave birth to the couple’s first child early Monday when a Columbia University graduate was stuck at the Louisiana Detention Center after authorities refused to allow him temporary release to see his newborn son.
Dr Noor Abdallah, 28, gave birth to her and Halil’s son in New York on Monday morning, but avoided several states as the Trump administration tried to deport a legal permanent resident, age 30, than his leadership in anti-Israel protests on the Columbia campus.
Khalil’s lawyer asked immigration and customs enforcement agencies to temporarily and limit the Syrian-born US residents, so he was able to be there for his family, but their requests were quickly denied, Abdallah said.
“My son and I should not navigate his first days on earth without Mahmoud. Ice and the Trump administration have stole these precious moments from our family in order to silence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom,” she said in a statement.
“I will continue to fight every day to ensure that Mahmoud comes back to us. When Mahmoud is released, he knows that he will make his son brave, thoughtful and caring look like a father.”
Halil first gained custody of the ice in early March. The Trump administration cancelled his green card and he was actually shipped overnight to a Louisiana detention center where he has remained ever since.
He was the first of many international students involved in advocacy for Palestine and was suddenly detained by ICE, including a doctoral student at Tufts University who co-signed an operation on the investment in the institution in Israel.
A Louisiana immigration judge recently ruled that Halil could be deported, but it is unclear when this will happen. His lawyers will be given the opportunity to appeal the sentence before he launches from the United States.
American citizens, Halil and Abdallah, were together for two years. A stubborn advocate for her husband, she said she originally wanted him to be released in time to see the birth of their son.
“I think it’s very devastating for me to meet his first child behind a glass screen. I’ve always been very excited to have my first baby with someone I love,” Abdallah said previously.
