Mahmoud Khalil speaks out after detention: 'It felt like kidnapping'

Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil is speaking out about his time in immigration detention, saying, quote, it felt like kidnapping

He sat down for his first broadcast interview since his release, talking to ABC's Lindsay Davis on Good Morning America Monday

She asked why he thinks the Trump administration considers him as a threat

Because I represent a movement that goes against what this administration is trying to do

Khalil was taken into custody on March 8th by plainclothes immigration agents

The Trump administration claims the 30-year-old is a pro-Hamas sympathizer and poses a threat to national security for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests

at Columbia University in the spring of 2024. They've been seeking his deportation

The Department of Homeland Security also accused Khalil of lying on his green card application

failing to disclose past work with a U.N. agency that came under scrutiny after the October 7th

Hamas attack. Despite spending more than 100 days in detention, Khalil was never charged with a crime

They tried to portray me as a violent person They tried to portray me as a terrorist as some lunatic but not presenting any evidence not presenting any shred of credibility to their claims

The government is attempting to use a rarely-invoke law that allows deportation if the Secretary

of State believes a person's presence could cause adverse foreign policy consequences

But last week, the federal judge ruled that Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, cannot be detained or deported on foreign policy grounds

The judge ordered him to surrender his passports and travel documents, but said Khalil doesn't appear to be a flight risk

Khalil's attorneys argue the Trump administration is using immigration law to silence his political speech, a violation of his First Amendment rights

Palestine will be free. Palestine will be free. Khalil wasted no time returning to protest

One day after his release, he joined a demonstration in New York against the Israel-Gaza war

He told a crowd of supporters to keep speaking out, calling Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide against the Palestinian people

Khalil was the first student protester detained by the Trump administration. But since then, several others have also been taken into custody

For Shader News, I'm Lauren Keenan. If you want more on this story, download the Shader News app or visit san.com