Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate who has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was denied permission from attending the birth of his first child, several reports confirmed Monday.
Khalil’s attorneys wrote on Sunday to Melissa Harper, the director of ICE’s field office in New Orleans where he is being held, requesting for a two-week release from detention to be with his wife when she delivered their son, CNN reported.
About 30 minutes later, Harper denied the request and said she was dismissing the furlough “after consideration of the submitted information and a review” of Khalil’s case, the outlet reported.
According to a statement shared online, Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she welcomed their son into the world alone.
“This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” she said.
Khalil’s attorneys noted that his wife went into labor early and thought the furlough was reasonable so both parents could be present for the birth.
Khalil, a green card holder, has been in detention for more than a month.
He was targeted because of his position as the lead negotiator for the pro-Palestinian encampment on Columbia University’s campus last year.
Khalil’s case has been widely publicized and viewed as a significant marker for the Trump administration’s attempts to deport visa holders who engaged in pro-Palestinian efforts.
The graduate has said his detention is illegal and there is no evidence for the administration beyond his support for the Palestinian people. In an op-ed, he recently detailed the detention conditions, comparing “some aspects” to Nazi concentration camps.
A spokesperson for his legal team told CNN that Khalil was able to experience his son’s birth over the phone and both the mother and son are healthy.
A judge earlier this month found that Khalil is eligible to be removed from the country, and his attorneys are in the process of appealing the decision. They are also seeking his release in federal court.
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