Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University Palestinian graduate student who the Trump administration is seeking to deport for his role in pro-Palestinian protests, called himself a political prisoner on Tuesday, in his first direct comments since his detention.
The detention of Khalil, a US permanent resident, has been condemned by multiple human rights groups as an assault on free speech and due process. Over 100 Democratic lawmakers from the US House of Representatives have questioned the detention's legality in a letter to the administration of Republican President Donald Trump.
Justice Department lawyers say Khalil, 30, was subject to deportation because Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined his US presence could have "adverse foreign policy consequences."