Free Our Prisoners, Free them all! National SDS Statement on Mahmoud Khalil Ruling
On April 11th, 2025, Louisiana Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Mahmoud Khalil could be legally deported. She stated the government’s assertion that his presence threatened US foreign policy was enough to warrant removal from the country. This verdict was made despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the state cronies failing to produce a shred of evidence backing this. Khalil was also denied the right to due process and, in his own words, fundamental fairness. His only “crime” was speaking out against the state and protesting University and federal funding of an ongoing genocide.
Students for a Democratic Society vehemently condemns this spineless verdict. The Trump administration has made it clear that advocacy for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians will not be tolerated. Earlier this month, hundreds of international students had their visas revoked for exercising their first amendment rights through actions as simple as posting pro-Palestine content on their social media. Today’s ruling further cements this dangerous precedent for international students in this country. It is a clear attempt to sanction the values of free speech this country claims to uphold. Over the past year we have seen university administrations suppress speech that threatens their wallets with repression and violence. These administrators have shown they will surrender to Trump’s demands without resistance or concern for their students, and have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their compliance, including giving up their own students to ICE.
This heightened crackdown on students comes along with Netanyahu’s promise to adopt Trump’s plan for continued ethnic cleansing and settlement in Gaza. Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal in 125 countries following the ICC’s decision last year, was warmly welcomed at the White House just this week while Mahmoud Khalil, a student detained on baseless accusations, currently faces deportation in a Louisiana ICE detention center. As the violence escalates daily in Palestine, so does the brutality against those who speak against it. The kidnapping and detention of international students in the US is yet another human rights violation meant to oppress marginalized communities and political dissidents. In the face of these measures we reaffirm our solidarity with Mahmoud Khalil and others whose immigration status is weaponized in order to justify removal from the country. We demand Mahmoud Khalil be released, and that universities defend their students. SDS calls upon everyone to get organized and mobilized. It is through an organized united front that we can effectively fight back against state terror and ensure the people’s victory in every sense.
Free Mahmoud!
Reinstate student visas!
Free Palestine!
Dare to struggle, Dare to win!