Protestors Demand Mahmoud Khalil’s Freedom As Trump Administration Shatters The Illusion Of “Free Speech”
On March 8th, 2025, approximately 8:30pm, plainclothes ICE agents arrested Columbia University graduate and green card holder Mahmoud Khalil on his way home from an iftar dinner. While detaining Khalil without presenting a warrant, the officers also requested keys to the apartment of Khalil and his eight month pregnant wife, before threatening to arrest her as well, before learning that she was a US citizen. Khalil was then removed from the state and transported to Louisiana without notifying his wife or lawyer. The arrest and detainment were directed specifically by the Trump administration, with the Secretary of State alleging that “Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas.” Khalil has not been charged with a crime.
Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest has sparked intense protest and action from justice-minded people around the nation, and St. Louis is no exception. At noon on March 12, St. Louisans congregated at the ICE Field Office at 1222 Spruce St. downtown. The office is a stone’s throw from City Hall and in clear view of the City Justice Center and the Civil Courts.
Numerous speakers stepped forward to express their anger. They were frequently interrupted with car horns and shouts of support from passersby, many of whom were city employees and other civil servants. The single negative reaction came from a city policeman, who drove by in his SUV cruiser while giving protesters a thumbs down.
Included here are abridged transcripts of the words that were spoken that afternoon.
Sandra Tamari (Adalah Justice Project, St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee):
“Comrades and allies, I stand here today not just with anger in my heart, but with fire. Today, we demand justice for Mahmoud Khalil, who was abducted from his home, his family, and his life in New York by agents of a regime intent on crushing our fundamental rights. Mahmoud is not a criminal. He is an activist, a student at Columbia, a human being who dared to speak out against the genocide of Palestinians and demand justice and freedom.
This is not just about Mahmoud. This is about freedom of speech, our right to protest, and standing up against those in power who wage war on the most vulnerable. Mahmoud is being punished not because he did something wrong, but because he did everything right. He spoke the truth and raised his voice for Palestine.
This is not an isolated incident. It’s part of a clear pattern. We saw it in 2020 with the criminalization of those protesting the murder of George Floyd. This is about silencing dissent, about ensuring no one speaks out against our government’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes. They can try to tear families apart, but we will not bow down. We will rise up and fight back together.
Mahmoud’s fight is our fight. We will not rest until he is free and reunited with his family. And we must remember: Mahmoud has certain privileges as a green card holder. Many of us have privileges because we were born here, but there are undocumented individuals and students on visas who are even more vulnerable. It’s up to us to take the front lines, demand his release, share his story, and ensure no one else is silenced.
This is our moment to stand up to fascism, authoritarianism, and this corrupt regime. Thank you.”
Amanda Tello (Community Organizer and Indigenous Advocate):
“Ashaka. Good morning. I greet you in my indigenous language, Ealen. It’s important we practice and honor these languages.
Disappearance is a tool of oppression. The border wall was built to disappear people, to let suffering and death happen out of sight. This country has always disappeared us—onto reservations, into internment camps, into neighborhoods poisoned by factories. It disappears our relatives into jails, detention centers, and headlines that never tell their stories.
It disappears entire ways of being, replacing reciprocity with extraction, kinship with ownership, ceremony with profit. It teaches us to disappear parts of ourselves, to silence our tongues, to cut away the parts of our culture that don’t fit into their whiteness.
But we are still here. This rally is a testament to those who refuse to let our stories die. Remembrance is our weapon. To refuse to disappear means refusing to be silent—not just in the streets or on social media, but in our minds, our practices, and our unlearning. It means breaking isolation, fighting for one another, dreaming together, and resting together.
We must remember ourselves, our worth, and our connection to the land. This will always be indigenous land. Through our relationship with it, we create a world where disappearance is no longer possible. We are the wind, the water, the fire, and the roots that refuse to be unrooted. We are the people. Thank you.”
Janis Menza (Abolitionist and Organizer):
“When I read about Mahmoud Khalil, it reminded me of the 2017 protests after Jason Stockley murdered Anthony Lamar Smith. Back then, I was 18, terrified, and new to activism. Now, at 26, I’m still terrified—because it doesn’t matter if you’re a legal resident or a citizen. Your freedoms are under attack.
\They want to criminalize protest, whether for Palestine or Black lives. They want to criminalize our humanity. That’s why I’m an abolitionist. I don’t want the first time you think about abolition to be when they put you in jail.
They’re shifting people like Mahmoud across the country, from New York to Louisiana, but wherever they take us, we’ll be there, advocating for freedom and humanity. What’s happening to Mahmoud can happen to any of us.
I was knocked unconscious by the St. Louis police, and the city is prosecuting me for trespassing and resisting arrest. If you’re interested in abolition or following my case, visit justiceforjanis.com. Join us for an abolition teach-in at the Deacon Foundation or at my trial on April 21st.
Abolition is not just a goal—it’s a necessity. When I say abolition, you say now. Abolition! Abolition! Abolition! Thank you.”
Photos: Mathieu Paul
CORRECTION: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that Sandra Tamari was affiliated with US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. The article was corrected to note her affiliations with Adalah Justice Project and the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee.
