See more about Linsey Davis’s broadcast interview with Mahmoud Khalil in “Good Morning America” on Monday at 7 am et and ABC News Live Prime at 7 pm et.
Mahmoud Khalil, the Pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University who was arrested for ICE for more than three months, spoke with ABC News Live presenter, Linsey Davis, in the first interview in the Chamber since its launch.
In the interview, which will be broadcast on Monday at 7 PM ET, Khalil withdrew against the affirmation of the Trump administration that is a threat to the national security of the United States.
“The White House has said that he distributed pro-hamas. The Secretary Rubio said he created an atmosphere of harassment towards Jewish students. President Trump said we have to take it out of our country. Why do you think it is perceived as a threat like that?” Davis asked Khalil in the exclusive interview.
“Because I represent a movement that goes against what this administration is trying to do,” Khalil replied. “They try to portray me as a violent person. They try to portray me as a terrorist, like some crazy people, but not presenting any evidence, not presenting any credibility to their statements.”
Khalil was released Friday night from an immigration and customs control installation (ICE) in Jena, Louisiana, after the United States district judge, Michael Farbiarz, issued an order that granted his release under bail. The judge said that the government did not try to demonstrate that Khalil’s liberation would irreparably damage them in some way and that Khalil represented a risk of escape.
“What all this evidence is added is the lack of violence, the lack of destruction of the property, the lack of anything that can be characterized as incitement to violence,” Farbiar said about Khalil.
The judge said that Khalil’s liberation conditions will not include electronic monitoring or a requirement to be published a bonus immediately.
Columbia University accompanies his wife Noor Abdalla at the Newark Liberty International Airport, a day after he was released from immigration custody, in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 2025.
Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
“The hundreds of men who are left behind should not be there first,” Khalil told reporters on Friday, referring to other detainees. “The Trump administration is doing everything possible to dehumanize everyone here. Whether you are an American citizen, an immigrant or simply a person on this earth, it does not mean that you are less human.”
The ruling to free Khalil at the same time an immigration judge in Jena, Louisiana, denied Khalil’s application for asylum and ordered him to remain detained. Farbiar’s order replaced that decision.
The National Security Department abruptly criticized the judge’s decision to free Khalil, claiming in a Declaration on Friday That the ruling is “another example of how members out of control of the judicial branch are undermining national security” and arguing that “an immigration judge, not a district judge, has the authority to decide whether Mr. Khalil must be released or detained.”
“His conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 elections, but also does great damage to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts,” the declaration continued.
Khalil, a married green card holder with an American citizen, was a student graduated at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (SIPA) during a series of pro-palestinian protests on the campus against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Mahmoud Khalil speaks at a press conference on June 21, 2025.
Wabc
Khalil was arrested in March, and the Trump administration said in part that his continuous presence in the country would represent a risk to the foreign policy of the United States. However, Judge Farbiarz issued a preliminary judicial order last week that prohibits the Trump administration from continuing to stop it based on that statement.
Khalil was arrested for an additional week until his launch on Friday after the government advocated its continuous detention based on its accusation that it misrepresented information about its green card application, an accusation that Khalil and his lawyers denied.
Khalil, grandson of Palestinian refugees who was born in Syria and has Algerian citizenship, welcomed his first child, a son named Deen, while he was in custody.
Khalil thanked his followers during a press conference in New York on Saturday and promised to continue talking for Palestinian human rights.
“Even if they kill me, I would still talk to Palestine,” Khalil said.
