Council Member Tiffany Cabán Responds to Mahmoud Khalil’s Disappearance

March 10, 2025

New York City

In response to Columbia University graduate and United States Legal Permanent Resident Mahmoud Khalil being detained and disappeared by DHS, New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán released the following statement: 

“This is fascism. 

A political activist has been disappeared and detained for his political speech. 

Political speech is protected by the First Amendment. Due process is a cornerstone of our criminal legal system. This is what separates us from authoritarianism — and what has been taken from Mahmoud Khalil. 

The Trump administration is testing the waters to see what they can get away with. 

Trump said today: “this is the first of many arrests to come.” He has no intention of stopping here. 

First, they come for the political activists with permanent legal status. Next, they will come for citizens. 

We must all rise up and demand that Mahmoud be swiftly reunited with his wife, who is a United States citizen and eight months pregnant. 
A note on history: the United States is not immune to human rights abuses. Japanese internment happened in living memory. The difference will be in how we collectively respond. We must fight tooth and nail for democracy.” 

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