Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University student and Palestinian activist currently in federal custody at the Central Louisiana Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center (CLIPC), is not allowed to hold his newborn son, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
In a news release, the ACLU alleges U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not allow Khalil to have physical contact with his family.
“The officials cite a blanket no-contact visitation policy at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center (CLIPC) and unspecified ‘security concerns’ relating to the presence of a mother and newborn baby in an unsecure part of the facility,” the release states.
Wife travels for first meeting
Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, traveled from New York to the ICE facility in Louisiana, in hopes that Khalil would be able to meet with her and his newborn child. Her and Khalil’s son was born in April 2025 while he was in the ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana.
Abdalla was hoping for “a contact visit — one where her husband could meet, touch, and hold his son for the very first time.”
Visits behind glass only
Instead, the ACLU says the facility administrators rejected multiple requests from those who wanted to meet with Khalil in person without barriers.
“[They] have insisted the visit proceed behind glass, where no human touch is possible,” the release states.
“…ICE has denied us even this most basic human right. This is not just heartless. It is deliberate violence, the calculated cruelty of a government that tears families apart without remorse,” Abdalla said in a partial statement.
ACLU cites ICE policy
The ACLU claims ICE’s refusal goes against its own directive: ICE Directive 11064.3.
In the directive, ICE pledges to protect families during immigration enforcement, recognizing the special responsibilities of parents and guardians. The agency states it will take steps to minimize harm or disruption to these family relationships when carrying out civil immigration enforcement.
“The government chose to arrest and detain Mahmoud thousands of miles away in the Louisiana detention gulags to punish him for his support for Palestinian human rights, and is doubling down on their retaliatory punishment by denying him the most elementary human contact with his wife and child,” said Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Legal battle continues
Federal immigration agents arrested Khalil in March 2025. The Trump administration is trying to deport Khalil, alleging he supports terrorist organizations and poses a national security threat to U.S. foreign policy.
Khalil filed a lawsuit, claiming his First Amendment free speech and Fifth Amendment due process rights as a legal resident.
The Trump administration has not publicly commented on the ACLU’s claims. Khalil is due back in court Thursday, May 22.
