Mahmoud Khalil on how his fight to stay in the US is larger than himself
CNN · Published on October 21, 2026
Loved this video? Share it!
Send it to someone who'll love it, or post it on your networks.
Description
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil joins CNN's Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room to talk about his appeal to the Supreme Court. Khalil also responds to a new Department of Homeland Security statement about the allegations against him. Khalil, a legal permanent resident who is married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested in March 2025 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in his Columbia campus apartment. He quickly became the face of the Trump administration crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators. He then spent 104 days in a Louisiana immigration jail, missing the birth of his first child, before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release. 0:00 Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil takes deportation fight to Supreme Court 1:11 Khalil: "It's about whether anyone has the right to speak out without fearing retaliation" 2:23 Is Khalil optimistic about taking his case to a conservative Supreme Court? 5:30 DHS statement on Mahmoud Khalil, and Khalil's response: "Baseless allegations and smears" 8:36 CNN chief Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic on the question before the Court Watch 24/7 live news with CNN Headlines: https://bit.ly/4eIvlTr Stream more on CNN with an All Access subscription: https://cnn.it/4AZMu54 #MahmoudKhalil #SupremeCourt #News