( ENSPIRE News ) Former Columbia Student Shares Chilling Account of 103 Days in ICE Custody Without Charges
ENSPIRE Contributor: Paola Avazian
Former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil sat down with journalist and political analyst Joy Reid for an emotional interview detailing his 103-day detainment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Khalil recounted the moment he was taken into custody by unknown agents, moved between facilities without explanation, and held without charges. Drawing unsettling parallels to the authoritarian tactics used under Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Khalil described the constant fear and uncertainty of his imprisonment.
His detainment took place in a Louisiana Geo Group private prison, where he worried daily about being deported to Syria and the potential threats he might face for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. “I feared for my life every day—not only because of where I might be sent, but because of what my voice might cost me,” Khalil said.
During the episode of The Joy Reid Show, Reid also spoke with global economic scholar Dr. Dan Steinbock about the moral catastrophe of Israel’s actions in Gaza and Texas State Representative Jolanda Jones on the racial and political gerrymandering crisis in her state.
Khalil’s story is not just about one man’s wrongful detainment—it’s about the broader implications of unchecked detention practices in the U.S. and the ripple effect on families and communities.
In sharing his story, Khalil hopes to shine a light on the human cost of policies that strip away due process and dignity. “It’s not just my fight,” he said. “It’s about holding systems accountable so no one else has to endure what I went through.”
You can watch the full interview on The Joy Reid Show HERE.
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