Wife of Mahmoud Khalil announces birth of their son in his absence

The wife of detained Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil announced the birth of the couple's son Monday, noting her husband was not able to witness the event.

The wife of detained Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil announced the birth of the couple's son Monday, noting her husband was not able to witness the event.

Dr. Noor Abdalla, a Michigan-born dentist who was with Khalil when federal agents arrested him on March 8, said she requested his presence at the birth but was denied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Despite our request for ICE to allow Mahmoud to attend the birth, they denied his temporary release to meet our son," Abdalla said in a statement Monday afternoon. "This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer."

Mahmoud Khalil at a pro-Palestinian protest on the Columbia University campus in New York on April 29, 2024. Ted Shaffrey / AP fileA spokesperson for the couple did not immediately respond to questions about the baby's name. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Khalil, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and was granted permanent U.S. resident status last year, became a figurehead amid pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia last year, when he served as a mediator between student groups participating in a campus encampment and administrators at the New York City school.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wife-mahmoud-khalil-announces-birth-son-absence-rcna202289

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