© Olivia Falcigno for USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Jena, LA) — Mahmoud Khalil is free after walking out of an immigration detention center in Louisiana on Friday (June 20, 2025).
Earlier in the day, a federal judge based in Newark, N.J. ordered the Columbia University grad student be released on bail. Khalil had been detained for three months after the White House said he’s an anti-Semitic Hamas supporter who should be deported.
He was the first of a number of students who ended up being taken into custody over pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil is a legal permanent resident and was the last high-profile demonstrator held in detention.
Khalil says the Trump administration is dehumanizing detainees. While in custody, he missed the birth of his first child. When asked what the first thing he’ll do now that he’s free, Khalil responded, “Hug my wife and baby.”
