On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil, a doctoral student at Columbia University and an expectant father, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the lobby of his New York apartment building. Despite being a lawful permanent resident—authorized by the U.S. government to live and work in the country—Khalil, who has not been charged with any crime, is currently being held in a Louisiana detention facility. His detention comes as a result of his pro-Palestinian activism, and it separates him from his wife, who is due to give birth to their first child this month, as well as his legal defense team.
Khalil’s case is part of a broader pattern of recent ICE actions, many of which have raised serious concerns about violations of constitutional rights. Across the country, several individuals—some prominent, others less so—have been targeted by ICE solely for their political beliefs or affiliations. This includes a community leader in Colorado, a professor at Brown University, a researcher at Georgetown University, and students at Columbia and the University of Alabama. Additionally, a viral surveillance video from March showed six plainclothes ICE agents detaining Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student on a valid F-1 visa, while she was walking to meet friends.
However, these high-profile cases are not isolated incidents. Numerous individuals with deep ties to the U.S., including lawful residents and even U.S. citizens, are facing detention and deportation. These include a U.S. military veteran with lawful status, a 10-year-old child recovering from brain surgery who was deported along with her family despite being a U.S. citizen, and a green card holder who has lived in the country for 50 years. In one case, a Maryland man was sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador due to what the Trump administration called an “administrative error.” Even members of Native American tribes, including the Mescalero Apache and Navajo, have faced harassment.
Taken together, these actions expose a troubling reality: the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort threatens a far broader group of people than initially suggested by the administration’s inflammatory rhetoric. Whether they are lawful permanent residents, students, business owners, or military personnel; whether they have clean criminal records or pleaded guilty to minor offenses in the past; or whether they are U.S. citizens—this administration is aggressively targeting a wide swath of immigrant communities. These actions not only jeopardize individual freedoms but also undermine the stability of communities across the nation, posing a direct threat to fundamental legal protections.
The Urgent Need for Legal Representation
Access to legal representation is crucial for those facing detention and deportation. However, many immigrants, including those like Khalil, lack the resources to secure counsel. Nearly two-thirds of immigrants in detention do not have legal representation, and navigating the complex immigration system without it can be daunting. Without legal assistance, many immigrants are unable to effectively defend their rights or seek release from detention.
Efforts to expand legal representation for immigrants are critical. Through initiatives like the Safety & Fairness for Everyone Network, advocates have witnessed firsthand the importance of providing legal support to individuals facing detention. Immigrants are integral to American society, constituting nearly 18% of the U.S. workforce and contributing significantly to the economy with $1.7 trillion in spending power. Moreover, immigrants are responsible for the creation of 3.8 million businesses, and many have lived in the U.S. for over a decade, with a substantial portion of their children being U.S. citizens.
The true threat to public safety is not a crackdown on dangerous individuals, but rather a government that is acting with authoritarian tendencies. By disregarding constitutional protections, denying detainees access to legal counsel, and spreading misleading narratives to justify harsh policies, the administration is undermining the very principles that make the U.S. a nation of laws.
A Call to Action
This situation cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. It is time to reaffirm our commitment to the core value of due process and ensure that immigrants—whether they have lived in the U.S. for decades or are here on temporary visas—are protected from unjust detention and deportation. State and local governments must take action to establish and fund deportation defense programs, as more than 55 jurisdictions across the country have already done. These initiatives are essential to safeguarding the rights of individuals like Khalil, who are at risk of family separation and prolonged detention.
The fight for justice and due process for immigrants is not just a fight for one group of people, but a stand for the values upon which this country was founded.
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