Wife of detained Columbia graduate student announces birth of son

Noor Abdalla, the wife of detained Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, made an announcement on Monday about the birth of their son. Abdalla, who is a U.S. citizen, revealed that she delivered their child without Khalil present despite requests for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to permit his attendance, as reported by NBC News.

Abdalla stated that ICE intentionally caused suffering for her, Mahmoud, and their newborn son. She went into labor earlier than expected, and her lawyers had sought a two-week furlough for Khalil to witness the birth. However, ICE rejected the request promptly, denying the opportunity for Khalil to be present during this crucial moment.

Expressing her disappointment, Abdalla, a dentist from Michigan, emphasized that she and her son should not have to face this situation without Mahmoud. She accused ICE and the Trump administration of depriving their family of precious moments in an effort to suppress Mahmoud’s advocacy for Palestinian freedom.

Khalil, a Palestinian refugee and legal permanent resident with a green card, was detained by ICE in March due to his involvement in pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia’s Manhattan campus. The Trump administration has accused him of supporting a designated foreign terrorist organization, Hamas, through his activism.

While Khalil faces the threat of deportation despite his marriage to a U.S. citizen, his case reflects a broader crackdown by the administration on foreign-born students who have expressed support for Palestinians and criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza. This approach has drawn criticism from human rights and immigration advocates, who condemn the arrests and detentions as unjust and chilling, particularly when targeting individuals exercising their constitutional rights.

The situation involving Khalil and his family underscores the complex intersection of immigration policies, free speech rights, and geopolitical tensions in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.