1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing, again, urging you to publicly condemn the detention of Mahmoud Khalil by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demand his release. Khalil, a green card holder, was detained by ICE on March 9, despite having a valid green card and there being no clear evidence of wrongdoing. Despite the dubious claims made by Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, there is no evidence as of now that Khalil has done anything deemed appropriate of detention and deportation. There is no clear proof that Mahmoud is a “risk” to national security. Being Palestinian, or advocating for Palestinian human rights, does not inherently make somebody a national security risk, and this racism from the Trump administration is appalling. Khalil has been shown to care for both the safety of Palestinians and the safety of Jewish people as stated in an interview with CNN: "As a Palestinian student, I believe that the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other. Our movement is a movement for social justice and freedom and equality for everyone." Because of this dangerous injustice, I request that you: 1. Publicly condemn Khalil's detention 2. Call for his immediate release 3. Emphasize the importance of protecting the rights of individuals to express their opinions and advocate for social justice Your voice is crucial in standing against injustice, even if it occurs outside our local community. Take a stand for human rights and free speech.