A U.S. district judge ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil from immigration custody after ruling that his detention was unlawful and violated his First Amendment rights. Evidence of Khalil being non-threatening or a flight risk was unchallenged by the government, leading to this legal outcome.
Khalil had been detained for about three months, prompting protests from civil rights groups claiming political motivation behind his arrest.
Rights organizations argued that Khalil’s detention was politically motivated, creating a chilling effect on pro-Palestinian activism in academic settings.
