Detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil finally got to hold his 1-month-old son for the first time on Thursday after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to keep them apart with a plexiglass barrier. Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate, has been in a Louisiana jail since March 8. He was the first person arrested as part of President Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters.
The visit with his son came just before an immigration hearing for Khalil, who is facing deportation on the grounds that his involvement in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza may have gone against U.S. foreign policy interests. Despite not being charged with a crime, Khalil has been kept in custody as his case makes its way through the legal system. The battle over whether he could hold his newborn or just see him through a barrier sparked a legal fight, with Khalil’s lawyers claiming he was being politically targeted.
In a surprising turn of events, a federal judge in New Jersey, Michael Farbiarz, stepped in to allow the meeting to happen, going against federal officials who wanted to keep Khalil from physically touching his wife and son. The government argued that granting Khalil a family visit would be unfair to other detainees, but Khalil’s legal team saw it as further proof of the government’s retaliatory motives. The judge’s intervention allowed the meeting to take place, giving Khalil a brief moment of connection with his newborn son.
