ACLU of Maine Statement on Piscataquis County Commissioners' Deliberate Violation of Maine's Open Meeting Law

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – After reuniting with his family on May 14, 2025 following a federal order that he be released from unlawful immigration detention in Texas, Dr. Badar Khan Suri and his wife Maphaz Saleh released the following statements today: Said Dr. Badar Khan Suri: “The moment I stepped out of the detention center, I inhaled deeply, a breath of freedom I had been deprived of for two, long months. That simple act, something so ordinary, felt extraordinary. As I looked around, my eyes met the faces of those who had stood by me. Their presence was powerful, their support unwavering. In that overwhelming moment, my heart swelled with emotion: I wanted to cry, not out of pain, but out of pure, uncontainable joy. It was a feeling of release, of being embraced by hope and solidarity after weeks of isolation. “After months of sorrow, loss, and pain, when I saw my kids, it was like an oasis in the desert, and in their arms I found my life again. It was a surreal experience: I forgot every suffering after hugging them. I was able to attain my freedom thanks to the dedicated efforts of my attorneys, and my steadfast faith in the Constitution and the judiciary. I hope very soon Mahmood will be holding his son, and all other students still in detention will reunite with their loved ones.” Said Maphaz Saleh: “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to see the smiles back on my children’s faces. They missed their father more than words can express. Now that he’s finally back with them, their joy has returned. I wish I could give a heartfelt hug to the honorable judge, the attorneys, and every supporter whose efforts made this moment possible, a moment that should never have been delayed by injustice in the first place. And yet, our joy is not complete. We cannot truly celebrate while Mahmoud Khalil remains behind bars, unable to hold his newborn baby or stand beside his wife, who is no doubt carrying an unbearable burden in his absence. No parent should be separated from their children this way. No family should suffer under the weight of fear-driven policies. We will not stop speaking out. We will not rest until Mahmoud and every innocent soul behind those walls is free.” Previews of photos of their reunion at Dulles International Airport on May 14, 2025 are available here. To request high-resolution versions of the photos for media use, please contact press@acluva.org. About the ACLU of Virginia The ACLU of Virginia promotes civil liberties and civil rights for everyone in the Commonwealth through public education, litigation, and advocacy with the goal of securing freedom and equality for all. For more information on the ACLU of Virginia go to www.acluva.org.

NEW YORK, NY – Newly released surveillance footage from Columbia University shows Mr. Khalil complied and cooperated with officers in his lobby on March 8 after ICE agents illegally entered his private Columbia-owned apartment building without a judicial warrant. This directly contradicts the Trump administration’s false claims that Mahmoud Khalil attempted to flee when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers illegally arrested him in retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights. In light of the new video evidence, Mr. Khalil’s legal team filed a renewed request with the immigration court that his case be terminated based on ICE’s egregious actions in arresting Mr. Khalil without a warrant or any legal basis whatsoever. The video — obtained by Mr. Khalil’s legal team through a subpoena with which Columbia complied — supports previous statements and video footage taken by his U.S. citizen wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, describing Mr. Khalil’s arrest as rogue and lawless. It confirms the Trump administration’s previous admission that ICE officers lied to Mr. Khalil about having a warrant when arresting him, and that the post-hoc any attempts by ICE to justify his arrest by alleging he tried to flee are unequivocally false. Shortly after Mr. Khalil’s illegal arrest, DHS transferred him 1,400 miles away to a Louisiana detention facility — ripping him away from his then pregnant wife and legal counsel. His legal team continues to challenge his arrest and continued detention as retaliatory and in violation of his rights under the First Amendment and due process. ICE denied Mr. Khalil’s request to be at his wife’s side as she went into labor last month, causing him to miss the birth of their son on Monday, April 21. An immigration hearing is scheduled for this Thursday. Mr. Khalil is represented by Dratel & Lewis, the Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, Washington Square Legal Services, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of New Jersey, and the ACLU of Louisiana. The following are quotes from Mr. Khalil’s legal team: “The world now knows ICE unconstitutionally arrested Mahmoud in retaliation for his defense of Palestinian rights and lives," said Ramzi Kassem, co-director of CLEAR. “After the government finally admitted that agents did not even have an administrative warrant for Mahmoud’s arrest, this video is the nail in the coffin of ICE’s lies: it shows, plain as day, that Mahmoud was calm and collected and that he never tried to run.” “The Trump administration can lie all they want, but this surveillance footage couldn’t be clearer: plainclothes, warrantless ICE agents ambushed Mr. Khalil in his lobby and he complied without any dispute or attempts to flee,” said Veronica Salama, staff attorney at the NYCLU. “During this horrifying 10-minute encounter, Mr. Khalil remained calm and cooperated — in fact, he turned to his 8-months pregnant wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, and said, ‘Habibi, it’s fine.’ This footage only confirms what Mr. Khalil and Dr. Abdalla have said all along: that the ICE officers acted outside the law, and that this arrest was illegal and unjustified.” “The recently obtained footage further confirms that Mr. Khalil fully complied with the orders of the ICE officers conducting his illegal arrest, refuting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) false assertions to the immigration court that he attempted to flee arrest,” said Johnny Sinodis who, with his partner Marc Van Der Hout, is representing Mahmoud Khalil in his immigration proceedings. “The egregious conduct of ICE in not only conducting this illegal arrest, but also lying about the circumstances to Mr. Khalil, his attorney, and the Court, require that his removal proceedings be terminated. Further highlighting ICE’s rampant illegality, a DHS whistleblower revealed just last week that DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) initiated an investigation into Mr. Khalil’s unlawful, warrantless arrest days before that office was dissolved in March 2025, showing even DHS itself was concerned with the manner in which Mr. Khalil was taken into custody.” “The footage released today of Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest couldn’t be clearer – the Trump administration’s claims that Mr. Khalil resisted arrest are false,” said Amol Sinha, executive director at the ACLU of New Jersey. “His unlawful arrest is a result of deliberate targeting by the federal government in retaliation for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights. It’s past time for the courts to release him and send him home.” “Claiming that Mahmoud tried to flee instead of acknowledging that they made an unlawful arrest is one of the government's tried-and-true tactics of blame shifting rather than taking responsibility for their actions,” said Amy Greer, associate attorney at Dratel & Lewis. “But we have proof that Mahmoud complied with law enforcement. Now it is time for the government to admit that it made an unlawful arrest, dismiss this case, and free Mahmoud. This unconstitutional persecution of his advocacy for Palestinian rights and freedom must end here and now.”

WASHINGTON — In an apparent effort to aid President Trump’s discriminatory clamp down on free speech, Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee have snuck a dangerous anti-dissent bill into their massive, new tax package. This provision, formerly known as H.R. 9495, would grant the executive branch the power to effectively shut down any non-profit organization — including news outlets, universities, and civil liberties groups — by accusing them of “supporting terrorism” and using that accusation to suspend their tax-exempt status without any real due process. It was defeated last year, yet extreme politicians are now trying to resurrect it once again. Mark-up of the tax bill will begin in the House Ways & Means Committee at 2:30 p.m. ET today. The following is a statement from Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union: “We've already seen the Trump administration falsely conflate students protesting in support of Palestinian rights with Hamas, deport immigrants to an El Salvadorian prison without due process, and detain students thousands of miles away from their loved ones for criticizing U.S. foreign policy. It is not a stretch to imagine how this bill could be used to pressure universities to shut down student groups, scare human rights organizations away from working with vulnerable communities, and further stifle dissent in this country. The Ways & Means Committee must strip this provision from the tax bill before it heads to the floor.”

WHAT: One day after the Columbia University commencement ceremony where Mahmoud Khalil was supposed to be walking with his peers, Mr. Khalil will instead be attending his immigration court hearing in Jena, LA. Virtual access is not guaranteed, but there are approximately 20 seats in the courtroom. Mr. Khalil’s legal team has requested the court grant either virtual or in-person access to interested press and public who wish to view these proceedings. The immigration court judge has not ruled on the motion. Following the hearing, his lawyers will be available for questions. WHEN: Thursday, May 22 (Exact timing yet to be announced) WHERE: Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center (830 Pine Hill Road, Jena, Louisiana) BACKGROUND: On March 8, the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) illegally arrested and detained Mr. Khalil in direct retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian human rights at Columbia University. Shortly after, DHS transferred him 1400 miles away to a Louisiana detention facility — ripping him away from his wife and legal counsel. While stuck in detention, he was forced to miss the birth of his first child. It later came out that they did not have a warrant. At his last immigration hearing in April, in what appeared to be a pre-written decision, a judge ruled that Mr. Khalil was removable under U.S. immigration law — despite a lack of evidence. In May, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey’s decision that Khalil’s case should be heard in New Jersey, where he was located when his habeas petition was filed. A decision on bail is outstanding.