The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today commended Louisiana Representatives Troy Carter and Ranking Member of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Bennie Thompson (MS) for leading a bicameral Democratic congressional delegation to conduct an oversight visit yesterday of ICE facilities in Louisiana to meet with wrongfully detained anti-genocide activists recent Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk and to demand their immediate release.
CAIR also extended its commendations to the other members of the congressional delegation, including Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA), Rep. Jim McGovern (MA), and Senator Ed Markey (MA) for joining this important visit.
In a statement, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw said:
“We commend Representative Troy Carter, Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern, and Senator Ed Markey for visiting ICE detention facilities in Louisiana to meet with Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk and for demanding their immediate release.
“It is fundamentally contrary to the U.S. Constitution for our government to punish permanent residents and visiting students for peacefully criticizing its foreign policy or that of other nations.
“The United States must not become a country that detains and deports people for opposing genocide or standing up for human rights. We urge the Trump administration to immediately end the politically-motivated use of immigration enforcement to silence dissent.”
This oversight visit comes amid a wider crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech, with nearly 1,700 international student visas revoked by the Trump Administration and many students detained or deported, often without criminal allegations.
CAIR has condemned these actions as unconstitutional violations of free speech and due process, particularly targeting Muslim, Arab, and international students.
Who is Mahmoud Khalil?
Mahmoud Khalil is a Palestinian-American and recent Columbia University graduate who led peaceful anti-genocide protests and called for divestment from companies complicit in Israeli war crimes. On March 8, 2025, plainclothes ICE agents arrested Khalil without a warrant in the lobby of his campus apartment in Manhattan as he returned from an Iftar dinner with his pregnant wife. He was later transferred to the LaSalle ICE detention facility in Louisiana.
A lawful permanent resident with no criminal record, Khalil now faces deportation based solely on a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which claims his lawful beliefs and activism justify removal. A judge has given his legal team until April 23 to seek relief.
ICE recently denied Khalil’s request to attend the birth of his son, prompting CAIR on Tuesday to condemn the decision as “an act of sheer cruelty.” His wife gave birth while he remained detained more than 1,000 miles away.
In a recent opinion piece, Khalil asked “What does my detention by ICE say about America?” saying that “A democracy for some is no democracy at all.”
Who is Rumeysa Ozturk?
Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national, a Ph.D. student, and a doctoral research assistant at Tufts University’s Children’s Television Project. She previously earned a master’s degree from Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar. Although the government has not explained the reason for her visa revocation, Ozturk co-authored a 2024 opinion essay in the Tufts student newspaper criticizing the university’s response to the Gaza genocide and calling for divestment from companies benefiting from Israeli military actions.
Ozturk was arrested by plainclothes officers who failed to identify themselves and was transferred to an ICE detention center in Louisiana.
While in ICE detention, she has reportedly suffered multiple asthma attacks in ICE custody, which she describes as “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane.” She has also reported that her hijab was forcibly removed by a detention nurse who told her to “take that thing off your head.”
Last Friday, a federal judge ordered that she be moved to Vermont while a lawsuit challenging her unconstitutional detention moves forward. Her case has become emblematic of escalating efforts to intimidate and silence international students who speak out for Palestinian human rights.
CAIR continues to call for the immediate release of students like Khalil and Ozturk and urges the Trump administration to end the use of immigration enforcement as a tool for political repression.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com