When Home Becomes Terror: Mahmoud Khalil and the Genocide on Gaza

Mahmoud Khalil remains in custody in Louisiana, pending an immigration hearing on March 27.

Home; comfort, love, safety. Home; comfort. Home; love. Home; safety. Home; comfort, but only if you conform. Home; love, but only if you’re silent. Home: safety, but not for Mahmoud Khalil. Home, but not if you’re Palestinian. 

Mahmoud Khalil is a Palestinian student, activist, U.S. resident, and green card holder. The order of the previous sentence is crucial as it would eventually lead to his arrest and detention. Born and raised in Syria to Palestinian refugees, Khalil completed his undergraduate studies in Beirut before enrolling and graduating with a master’s degree in December from Columbia University, where he played a prominent role at the university in the public demonstrations against the U.S. and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, and served as a negotiator between protesters and university officials. 

On March 8, 2025, at around 8:30 p.m., Mahmoud Khalil’s home no longer became his safe space as he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) at his apartment building. He and his wife Noor, who is eight months pregnant, were returning home from an Iftar dinner when ICE officers followed them into their building. In a two-minute video released by Khalil’s attorneys, plainclothes officers are shown handcuffing him in the lobby of his apartment building. In the video, one agent is filmed telling him to “stop resisting,” his wife responded by saying her husband was not resisting.

"You guys really don't need to be doing all of that,” his wife could be heard saying as she continued to film the arrest. In a released statement, Noor explained, “You’re watching the most terrifying moment of my life. This felt like a kidnapping because it was. There were officers in plain clothes—who refused to show us a warrant, speak with our attorney, or even tell us their names—who forced my husband into an unmarked car and took him away from me. They threatened to take me, too, even though we were calm and fully cooperating. For 38 hours after this video, neither I nor our lawyers knew where Mahmoud was being held. Now, he’s over 1,000 miles from home, still being wrongfully detained by U.S immigration.” 

Khalil’s arrest immediately drew international attention because of the reason he was detained and the fact that he holds a green card, which should allow individuals to live and work permanently in the United States and exert their right to free speech. During his time at Columbia, Khalil felt compelled to speak out about Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel began a carpet bombing and ground campaign on October 7, 2023.

“He is committed to calling on the rest of the world to protect the rights of Palestinians under international law and to stop enabling violence against Palestinians,” his lawyers said in a court filing. Following his arrest, Trump has repeatedly alleged that pro-Palestinian activists and protesters should be deported and called Khalil’s arrest “the first of many to come.” Green card holders may face deportation under certain conditions, such as criminal behavior or violation of immigration law. However, there is no indication that Khalil has committed any crime or violated the terms of his residency.

Trump’s immigration officials have not provided evidence to support their accusations against Khalil or other students, and his lawyers have stated that the Trump Administration appears to be targeting him for his political activism and vocal opposition to Israeli policies. According to immigration law experts, deporting a green card holder solely for their political beliefs would likely violate the First Amendment.

If Khalil’s green card is ultimately revoked as a result of his activism, this would set a disturbing precedent and shift in how the U.S. government interprets its power over lawful permanent residents. The Khalil case indicates that the Trump Administration is ready to use these powers much more assertively, a change that could have significant consequences for activists, civil rights, and free speech in the United States. 

On March 18, adding fuel to the fire and amid Mahmoud Khalil’s detention, Israel violated the ceasefire and resumed its relentless bombing of Gaza, killing over 400 people, including 172 children, overnight. Israel launched air raids as people slept in the early hours of the morning. Once again, the comfort of a home turns into a nightmare. Israel claims it is doing this to force Hamas to release the captives being held in Gaza.

However, an Al Jazeera spokesperson explained that “Israel had decided to remove itself from the negotiations for phase two of this deal that would ultimately see an end to the war and the release of all 59 Israeli captives still being held in Gaza.” Israel, with support from the U.S., has been attempting to prevent the transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, while Hamas insists that the agreement should proceed to phase two as initially planned. Backed by the Trump administration, Israel may have never intended to honor the terms of the ceasefire. Now more than ever is the time to exercise our right to the First Amendment and be vocal against the injustices against Palestinians in both the U.S. and Israel. Without the freedom of Palestinians, no one is free. 

After being expelled from his country and home, Khalil was forcibly displaced to Syria, where he dedicated himself to his studies. He ultimately enrolled at the renowned Columbia University in the U.S., obtained a green card, and created a new home for himself and his family. On March 8, 2025, Khalil was once again wrongfully taken away from his home by the very country where he earned permanent residence.

Khalil remains in custody in Louisiana, pending an immigration hearing on March 27. And after over 500 days of genocide in Gaza, the U.S. administration is still allowing the massacre of Palestinians in violent bombings across all of Gaza as children and families sleep. Inside their homes and tents, entire families are being wiped out. For Palestinians, home is no longer comfort, love, and safety. For Mahmoud Khalil, home is no longer comfort, love, and safety. It is terror, expulsion, and displacement.