Rep. Watson Coleman Pens Open Letter Calling for Release of Mahmoud Khalil
Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued the following open letter calling for the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil and condemning the Trump Administration for this gross violation of his First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech:
To everyone who believes in the promise of America,
The weaponization of our Federal Government that we saw last week was an egregious attack on American freedom. Donald Trump and his deputies are hell-bent on extinguishing the values we all hold dear as Americans.
The case of Mahmoud Khalil should outrage everyone who values our fundamental right to free speech.
Mr. Khalil is a legal permanent resident. He lives in New York with his wife, a U.S. citizen who is 8 months pregnant.
On Saturday night, he was abducted — taken from his home without a judicial warrant. ICE officers hung up on his lawyer. He is currently being held without criminal charges at an ICE detention facility thousands of miles away from his home and family. Only Wednesday, five days after his arrest, was he allowed to speak to his attorney following a judge’s order.
This is unacceptable. Whether or not you agree with Khalil's political views, it should alarm each of us that his freedom of speech can be snuffed out solely because it is at odds with the official position of the President or the Federal Government.
An official in Trump’s Administration admitted to a reporter that he was arrested because he voiced opposition to U.S. foreign policy - not because he had broken any law. If this were to occur in another country, we would rightfully call it an assault on human rights. It brings to mind the "disappearing" of dissidents in totalitarian regimes like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Pinochet's Chile, and Nazi Germany.
Democracy, while the greatest form of government, is not invulnerable to attack. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has recognized democracies backsliding toward authoritarianism in 27 countries since 2005. According to the V-Dem Institutes 2025 report, for the first time in 20 years, there are fewer democracies in the world than autocracies. Previously strong democracies like Hungary and India have regressed over the past decade. This is all to say that it can happen here.
I understand this may sound shocking to some, but it is not an exaggeration. We have seen this happen in other countries, so ask yourself: what would it look like if it did happen here? On Monday, a White House official told a reporter that the basis they’ve used for targeting Khalil will be used for future investigations against other students. Trump himself wrote, “This is the first arrest of many to come.”
Claiming this is the “first of many” arrests is designed to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who might oppose and challenge him. But I urge you: do not give in to this fear. He will establish an atmosphere of doubt and despair unless we stand together and defend the rights of our fellow citizens, even those we may not always agree with. There are more Americans who love freedom than there are those who would see it taken away, and the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.
The descent of democracies into authoritarian regimes is rarely sudden; it often begins with small steps that erode democratic institutions and individual liberties.
Would-be authoritarians begin by testing our resolve to defend the rights of vulnerable people, measuring our determination to push back on violations of the freedom of speech for immigrants or those with political views outside the mainstream. Then, they limit the rights of other vulnerable groups, for instance, by allowing — or even encouraging — discrimination against ethnic minorities.
Piece by piece, the foundation we’re standing on is removed from under us. Eventually, we look around and we’re no longer living in a democracy. Martin Niemöller’s famous poem, “First They Came…” is not merely a reflection on the rise of Nazi authoritarianism; it was a warning to future generations that we must be vigilant in the face of creeping authoritarianism.
We are a nation of laws, laws that protect our civil liberties and our freedoms. In this country, we each have an inalienable right to speak our minds, and generations of Americans have marched, fought, and died for the rights Trump and his enablers continue to violate. I am disgusted and outraged by his Administration’s complete disregard for Mr. Khalil’s freedom of speech, and I can only discern that the President’s judgment and actions reflect his contempt for the rights of every legal resident and citizen of the United States.
In violating Mahmoud Khalil’s right to free speech and trampling his civil liberties, the President reveals his willingness to attack us all. I condemn the Administration’s actions in the strongest possible terms, demand Mr. Khalil’s immediate release, and call on all Americans to remain alert, not to give into fear, and to be outspoken in defense of our freedoms.
Sincerely,
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman