Statement from Jewish Elected Officials on the Detention and Planned Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil

Today, Sen. Liz Krueger was joined by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Assembly Members Harvey Epstein, Dana Levenberg, and Linda Rosenthal in issuing the following statement regarding the detention and planned deportation of Mahmoud Khalil:

As New York State Jewish elected officials, we are deeply committed to campus safety for Jewish and all New York students. We are concerned about the antisemitism that has reared its head across the political spectrum, including within campus encampments. We know Mahmoud Khalil is a leader of the group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has espoused positions we find abhorrent, and have no place in a movement for peace or self-determination or on a college campus.

However, the detention of Mr. Khalil, and the federal administration's intention to deport him, is gravely concerning. In a democracy, process and transparency are paramount. Mr. Khalil has not been charged with grounds for removal in the days since he was removed from his home. Due process is a critical element of both our criminal justice and immigration systems, and disappearing a legal permanent resident is outrageous. We will continue to monitor this closely, and stay committed to these protections that are a key component of keeping Jewish students, and all students, actually safe.

President Trump, a person who dines with neo-Nazis and refuses to rebuke Elon Musk for performing a Sieg Heil salute, is weaponizing the fears of the Jewish community to further an authoritarian agenda that is unfolding before our very eyes. We say: not in our name.