Noor Abdalla, a dentist based in New York City’s Morningside Heights, says that no one from Columbia University’s administration has contacted her since her husband, former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, was detained earlier this year.
While Columbia students have rallied around Khalil, the school’s leaders haven’t reached out, Abdalla told The Cut in a May interview. During Columbia’s graduation ceremonies, acting President Claire Shipman drew boos while referencing free speech and Khalil’s case.
“Due to pending litigation against the university, communications have needed to go through counsel. The university has been responsive to requests raised by Dr. Abdalla,” a Columbia spokesperson told HuffPost.
Khalil and seven other graduate students sued Columbia earlier this year to prevent the school from releasing private disciplinary records to a House Republican committee.
Khalil, who earned a master’s from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over his involvement in pro-Palestinian campus protests this past March. His detention also comes as Columbia has opted to acquiesce to the Trump administration’s demands over issues including campus security. Khalil has been one of the most high-profile examples of the White House targeting legal immigrants over their speech.
For now, Abdalla said, she has no idea when she’ll see her husband again. Although a federal judge ruled Wednesday that his detention was likely unconstitutional, he also determined that Khalil could remain in detention. In a second case, an immigration court is weighing the government’s arguments for Khalil’s deportation.
“We don’t know if Mahmoud’s going to be deported,” Abdalla told The Cut, adding that she’s preparing a passport for their 1-month-old child just in case. “We don’t want to end up needing it and not having it,” she said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The story and headline have been updated after Columbia responded to HuffPost’s request for comment.