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Last Updated on March 12, 2025.

Washington – Win Without War Executive Director Sara Haghdoosti made the following statement in response to the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil:

“We utterly deplore the detention of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and demand his immediate release.

“Khalil, who has both legal status as a green card holder and constitutional rights as a person in the United States, was informed that neither his status nor his rights would protect him from being deported away from his family. Instead, he was arrested in his home, flown thousands of miles away to another state, and has been detained to await an uncertain fate at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where the ACLU has recently documented cruel and inhumane treatment. Neither his wife—who is eight months pregnant—nor his attorney were informed of where he was taken. Neither was able to speak with him.  

“Khalil and his family are living a nightmare so many people have come to the United States to escape: he has been abducted by the government for speaking his mind. This is another chilling example of President Trump’s strongman act, this time shamefully abetted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Columbia University, and an increasingly lawless Department of Homeland Security. 

“Khalil’s case goes to the heart of the rule of law crisis we face in this country. We urge all those who stand for freedom of speech, due process, and the fundamental rights we are all afforded to call for his immediate release.”

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Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in the United States.

March 12, 2025