NEW YORK (AP) — Detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was allowed to hold his one-month-old son for the first time Thursday after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to keep the father and infant separated by a plexiglass barrier.
The visit came ahead of a scheduled immigration hearing for Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate who has been detained in a Louisiana jail since March 8.
His request to attend his son’s April 21 birth was denied last month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Khalil is scheduled to appear before that immigration judge, Jamee Comans, for a routine hearing on Thursday.
Attorneys for Khalil said it was unclear whether the baby would be permitted to attend the hearing.
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Thursday overruled the Trump administration’s attempt to keep the father and infant separated by a plexiglass barrier, allowing detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to hold his one-month-old son for the first time.
A planned immigration hearing for Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and lawful permanent resident who has been held in a Louisiana jail since March 8, was preceded by the visit.
As his case moves through both immigration and federal courts, he was the first person arrested under President Donald Trump’s pledged crackdown on demonstrators against the war in Gaza. He is also one of the few who has stayed in custody.
Last month, U turned down his request to be present at his son’s birth on April 21. A. Enforcement of Immigration and Customs.
Khalil’s lawyers have claimed that the government is retaliating politically against him after days of legal battle over whether he would be allowed to hold his newborn child or forced to meet him through a barrier.
READ MORE: Rubio claims that Mahmoud Khalil’s presence compromises U.S. A. foreign policy.
According to Khalil’s lawyers, a federal judge in New Jersey named Michael Farbiarz stepped in on Wednesday night, enabling the meeting to proceed Thursday morning.
Following federal officials’ announcement this week that they would oppose his lawyer’s attempt to arrange for Khalil, his wife Noor Abdalla, and their son Deen to have what is known as a “contact visit,” the judge issued the order.
They said Khalil might instead be permitted a “non-contact” visit, which would entail keeping him away from his wife and son and preventing him from touching them because of a plastic divider.
Officials from the Justice Department wrote in a court filing on Wednesday that granting Khalil this relief of family visitation would essentially grant him a privilege that no other detainee experiences. Enabling Dr. Dot Abdalla and a newborn to attend a legal meeting would transform a formal visitation into a family gathering. “.”.
According to an accompanying affidavit, it would be “unsafe to allow Mr. Khalil’s wife and newborn child into a secured part of the facility,” according to Brian Acuna, acting director of the ICE field office in New Orleans. “.”.
Khalil’s lawyers stated in their own court documents that his wife and son were “the farthest thing from a security risk” and that the government’s denial of the visit was “further evidence of the retaliatory motive behind Mr. Khalil’s arrest and faraway detention”. “.”.
In order to introduce their son to his father, they pointed out that Abdalla had traveled almost 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) to the isolated detention facility.
Abdalla remarked of the government’s stance, “This is not just heartless.”. A government’s calculated cruelty and willful violence are what split families apart without regret. And I can’t help but notice the echoes of this suffering in the accounts of Palestinian families who have been ripped apart by Israeli bombs and military prisons, denied life and dignity. “.”.
Khalil is appealing a Louisiana immigration judge’s decision to allow his deportation from the nation, and Farbiarz is now reviewing his release petition.
Although Khalil has not been charged with any crimes, federal authorities have attempted to deport him on the grounds that his significant participation in demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza may have damaged U.S. A. foreign policy objectives.
Khalil will make his regular appearance before that immigration judge, Jamee Comans, on Thursday. Khalil’s lawyers stated that it was uncertain if the infant would be allowed to attend the hearing.
