1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing out of concern for our precious First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights and to demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil. Mahmoud Khalil was within his First Amendment rights to protest peacefully. In violation of our Fifth Amendment, Khalil was illegally arrested. I believe that all people—regardless of nationality, immigration status, or political affiliation—deserve equal rights and due process under the law. The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that “No person shall be… deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The Fourteenth Amendment reinforces this by stating that “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” These rights are not conditional. They are fundamental. And when they are violated for one person, they are threatened for all of us. I uphold the Constitution. That is why I am speaking up. “Once you accept the arrest of a person for no reason other than their speech, we are all in danger.”