University of Wisconsin KnowledgeBase : ASM Denounces the Unlawful Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil

The safety and constitutional rights of UW-Madison’s students are clearly threatened by the unlawful arrest of Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. We adamantly oppose this egregious action which degrades our nation’s values of free expression and endangers the physical safety of our students. We denounce all unlawful targeted state violence.

On March 8th, former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was illegally arrested by ICE and taken 1,000 miles away from his home. He presented his legal immigration documents, but was arrested and detained without a charge or explanation of arrest. Green cards can only be revoked by an immigration judge, making his arrest unlawful. Another Columbia student, Ranjani Srinivasan, had her F-1 student visa revoked on March 5th. Leqaa Kordia, Palestinian student, was arrested for allegedly overstaying her student visa. We reject targeted deportations aimed at suppressing protected expression.

As UW-Madison’s Student Government, we condemn federal immigration enforcement for unlawfully targeting these students and Columbia University for any compliance with this abuse of power. As of March 19th, 2025, Columbia has not issued any public statements in support of Khalil. This is not acceptable and violates any rational interpretation of the first amendment while threatening our students.

The Associated Students of Madison urges the University of Wisconsin-Madison Administration to affirm our ideal of “sifting and winnowing” and protect the rights of students to express our diverse plurality of opinion without fear of violent state repercussions. We urge our administration to follow the law and defend our students.

Sincerely,

The Associated Students of Madison

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