Re: Will you sign the petition to free Mahmoud Khalil and protect students exercising their First Amendment rights?

Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was taken from his home unlawfully by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Add your name to demand the Department of Homeland Security release Mahmoud Khalil immediately! Dear MoveOn member, A judge gave the Trump administration a deadline of 6 p.m. ET last night to show evidence for why they detained Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil or release him.1 But let's be clear: Mahmoud Khalil should already be free. Mahmoud—a permanent resident—was unjustly seized from his home in the middle of the night without cause, and the government has been scrambling to "find" the evidence after the fact.2 Despite being detained for several weeks, Mahmoud hasn't been charged with any crime. It's terrifying and it's wrong. Join more than 63,000 MoveOn members and add your name to the petition to demand DHS release Mahmoud Khalil NOW! Every day detained is a day away from Mahmoud's loved ones and family. His wife is only weeks away from giving birth to their first child. The Trump administration's extreme agenda to silence and chill dissent not only has cruelly disrupted Mahmoud's life, it also threatens all of our foundational rights and freedoms. Trump is hoping he can intimidate everyday people into silence and submission. If we don't push back now, his assault on our rights will only escalate. Judge Jamee Comans will rule on Mahmoud's case on tomorrow.3 Click here to sign the petition and send a clear message that we, the people, refuse to allow Trump to violate our rights, attack free speech, and quell political dissent. Thanks for all you do. –Aliya, Mia, Kenia, Amanda D., and the rest of the team P.S. See our email below for more information about Mahmoud Khalil and why we should all be worried about Trump's attacks on the right to protest. Sources: 1. "Louisiana immigration judge will determine by the end of this week whether to release Mahmoud Khalil, his attorney says," CNN, April 8, 2025 https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/us/mahmoud-khalil-hearing-update-arrest/index.html 2. "Judge demands evidence against Mahmoud Khalil, says she'll drop the case if she doesn't get it," CBS News, April 8, 2025 https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/judge-demands-evidence-against-mahmoud-khalil/ 3. Ibid. Sign the petition: Free Mahmoud Khalil! Dear MoveOn member, The Trump administration's assault on our fundamental rights to free speech and protest is escalating, with the president ordering to have a protester arrested without cause over the weekend.4 Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was taken from his home unlawfully by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), without a warrant and despite his status as a permanent resident. And, if President Trump gets his way, Khalil's arrest and possible deportation would be the first of many.5 Our government going on a crusade to arrest a permanent resident—with no evidence and no due cause—is terrifying. If it could happen to Khalil, it could happen to anyone. Will you sign the petition? Amid cries of outrage and protest, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman blocked Khalil's deportation—for now. But his security is in limbo as the courts determine what will happen next. Meanwhile, his eight-month-pregnant wife and his friends worry about Khalil's safety and future—anxious for him to return home to New York City from Louisiana where he was transferred.6 Khalil's case exposes the brutal reality of Trump's attacks on our fundamental rights—a deliberate crackdown on people exercising their First Amendment rights. This isn't about just one person; it's about defending our right to dissent and protest. And if we don't fight back, it will only escalate. By revoking Khalil's permanent status solely for political reasons, Trump is setting a dangerous and disturbing precedent, leaving activists across social movements vulnerable. Right now, Trump is targeting pro-Palestinian rights activists. But tomorrow it could be those fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice, or abortion access. No one who speaks out is safe from his overreach. Trump is testing the extent of his executive powers and his ability to intimidate and instill fear in everyday people who dare to speak out and protest. That's why we need to speak out and stop him here and now. Add your name to the petition to urge members of Congress to protect our right to protest and STOP the persecution of Khalil! The ability to peacefully protest and organize without fear of retribution or violence is enshrined in our Constitution. Add your name to protect it! Trump is weaponizing federal funding to attack universities, using last year's student protests as a pretext for yet another round of brutal public service cuts. He recently threatened funding for more than 60 colleges and universities, with Columbia Univeristy—where Khalil studied—among the top targets. The administration has already canceled $400 million in federal funding, punishing universities for allowing students to speak out.7 Let's be clear: This isn't about safety or creating welcoming campuses. If Trump cared about that, he wouldn't be gutting the very resources that protect students. This is yet another power grab—a way to divide everyday people, silence dissenters, gut our public programs, and strip away our rights. We won't allow it. Trump doesn't get to decide who gets to protest and exercise their right to free speech. Will you sign the petition? Republicans have frequently abused the First Amendment to evade accountability for their own hate speech, while simultaneously pushing for restrictions like book bans.8 It's clear that they are willing to say and do anything, including sell out the civil and constitutional rights of everyday people, in order to align themselves with Trump.9 Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned, "Anyone—left, right, or center—who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights and free speech should be sounding the alarm now."10 And that is exactly what we intend to do. We need every single person to speak out and defend against Trump's attacks on free speech and political dissent. Click here to sign the petition and then share with three friends to help spread the word. Thanks for all you do. –Aliya, Mia, Kenia, Amanda D., and the rest of the team Sources: 4. "Judge temporarily blocks effort to deport Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia student protests," CNN, March 11, 2025 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/10/us/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-university-israel-hnk/index.html 5. "Trump calls arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil 'first of many to come,'" The Guardian, March 10, 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/10/trump-arrest-palestinian-activist-mahmoud-khalil 6. "Judge says Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil can't be deported from U.S. as protesters call for his release," NBC News, March 10, 2025 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/demonstrators-take-nycs-federal-plaza-mahmoud-khalil-arrested-ice-rcna195602 7. "Trump Officials Warn 60 Colleges of Possible Antisemitism Penalties," The New York Times, March 10, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/us/politics/trump-colleges-antisemitism.html 8. "The conservative assault on civil liberties," The Week, April 22, 2021 https://theweek.com/articles/978659/conservative-assault-civil-liberties 9. "'Free Mahmoud Khalil': Progressives Demand Release of 'Disappeared' Columbia Grad," Common Dreams, March 10, 2025 https://www.commondreams.org/news/mahmoud-khalil-detained 10. Ibid. You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here. Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us? If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate: $5 monthly Donate: $15 monthly Donate: $50 monthly Donate another amount monthly Or make a one-time gift Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action - PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141. ActBlue Civics Inc. is the merchant of record for all transactions made to MoveOn Civic Action using the ActBlue platform. ActBlue Civics Inc. receives and processes these donations before disbursing them to MoveOn Civic Action within 30 days of receipt. This email was sent to Andra Patterson on April 10, 2025. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, unsubscribe. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from MoveOn, please click here.