US Muslim group condemns refusal to allow detained Columbia activist to attend his child’s birth

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Tuesday condemned the barring of a Palestinian activist from attending the birth of his first child Monday.

“ICE’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) refusal to even briefly release Mahmoud Khalil under supervision so that he could attend the birth of his son is an act of sheer cruelty and it was carried out to satisfy the Israeli government and its supporters," CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement.

His remarks came one day after Khalil was barred from attending the birth of his first child after authorities denied a request for temporary release.

Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and green card holder, was arrested by ICE agents on March 8 after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the revocation of his student visa and green card.

"Although the Trump administration chants ‘America First,’ praises Christian values and claims to support free speech, its words ring hollow amid the abusive treatment of Mahmoud Khalil and other students whose only crime is opposing a genocide," said Mitchell.

Expressing solidarity with Khalil, Mitchell voiced hope that he will soon be able to embrace his newborn son "despite the cruelty of our government."

It is part of a slew of executive actions by President Donald Trump to deport foreign nationals deemed to have "hostile attitudes" toward the US, including a crackdown on what he called antisemitism, which resulted in the deportation of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests.