Overview
- Mahmoud Khalil delivered a seven-minute address on the New York Public Library steps in which he quoted the final words of Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera correspondent killed in Gaza.
- Approximately 2,000 demonstrators joined the pro-Palestine march from the library to Columbus Circle, with at least one protester wearing a Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades headband.
- Khalil remains free on bail after a federal judge ruled his March ICE detention unconstitutional, but the Department of Homeland Security has appealed that decision.
- Lawmakers including Rep. Elise Stefanik and Assemblyman Kalman Yeger have publicly demanded Khalil’s immediate deportation.
- His past comments characterizing the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack as a “desperate attempt” to break the cycle of violence have fueled contention over using immigration powers to regulate political speech.