Share this @internewscast.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was granted the opportunity to hold his one-month-old son for the first time on Thursday after a federal judge intervened to stop the Trump administration’s attempt to keep them separated by a plexiglass barrier.

This visit occurred just before Khalil’s scheduled immigration hearing. Khalil, a legal permanent resident and a graduate of Columbia University, has been held in a Louisiana jail since March 8.

He was the initial individual apprehended under President Donald Trump’s pledged crackdown on protests against the war in Gaza and is among the few who remain in detention as his case navigates through both immigration and federal judiciary processes.

His request to attend his son’s April 21 birth was denied last month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The question of whether Khalil would be permitted to hold his newborn child or forced to meet him through a barrier had sparked days of legal fighting, triggering claims by Khalil’s attorneys that he is being subject to political retaliation by the government.

On Wednesday night, a federal judge in New Jersey, Michael Farbiarz, intervened, allowing the meeting to go forward Thursday morning, according to Khalil’s attorneys.

The judge’s order came after federal officials said this week they would oppose his attorney’s effort to secure what’s known as “contact visit” between Khalil, his wife Noor Abdalla and their son Deen.

Instead, they said Khalil could be allowed a “non-contact” visit, meaning he would be separated from his wife and son by a plastic divider and not allowed to touch them.

“Granting Khalil this relief of family visitation would effectively grant him a privilege that no other detainee receives,” Justice Department officials wrote in a court filing on Wednesday. “Allowing Dr. Abdalla and a newborn to attend a legal meeting would turn a legal visitation into a family one.”

Brian Acuna, acting director of the ICE field office in New Orleans, said in an accompanying affidavit that it would be “unsafe to allow Mr. Khalil’s wife and newborn child into a secured part of the facility.”

In their own legal filings, Khalil’s attorneys described the government’s refusal to grant the visit as “further evidence of the retaliatory motive behind Mr. Khalil’s arrest and faraway detention,” adding that his wife and son were “the farthest thing from a security risk.”

They noted that Abdalla had traveled nearly 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) to the remote detention center in hopes of introducing their son to his father.

“This is not just heartless,” Abdalla said of the government’s position. “It is deliberate violence, the calculated cruelty of a government that tears families apart without remorse. And I cannot ignore the echoes of this pain in the stories of Palestinian families, torn apart by Israeli military prisons and bombs, denied dignity, denied life.”

Farbiarz is currently considering Khalil’s petition for release as he appeals a Louisiana immigration judge’s ruling that he can be deported from the country.

Federal authorities have not accused Khalil of a crime, but have sought to deport him on the basis that his prominent role in protests against Israel’s war in Gaza may have undermined U.S. foreign policy interests.

Khalil is scheduled to appear before that immigration judge, Jamee Comans, for a routine hearing on Thursday. Attorneys for Khalil said it was unclear whether the baby would be permitted to attend the hearing.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Kidnapping survivor, once dismissed as a liar, now retrains police to help victims

Formerly dismissed as a liar, kidnapping survivor now trains police to assist victims

Denise Huskins, who was accused of lying after surviving a home invasion…
Zac Brown and Kendra Scott’s plan for her $6.7M Austin home after engagement announcement

Zac Brown and Kendra Scott’s $6.7M Austin Home Plans Revealed Following Engagement News

Zac Brown and jewelry designer Kendra Scott are now engaged after the…
'Futurama' cast reunites at San Diego Comic-Con ahead of Hulu season 13 binge drop

‘Futurama’ Cast Gathers at San Diego Comic-Con Before Hulu Releases Season 13

The cast thanks fans, jokes about cancellations, and previews Hulu’s full-season drop…
Protests across Illinois, Chicago join national day of action over federal healthcare cuts under Trump administration

Illinois and Chicago Join Nationwide Protests Against Federal Healthcare Cuts under Trump Administration

CHICAGO (WLS) — Demonstrators rallied in Chicago and across Illinois Saturday as…
Trump pens letter to grieving mother of slain congressional intern: 'Held in my heart'

Trump Writes Heartfelt Letter to Mourning Mother of Deceased Congressional Intern

President Donald Trump wrote to a grieving mother whose son, a congressional…
Donald Trump waving on a golf course.

Sir Keir Starmer to Meet with Donald Trump at Scottish Golf Course to Address Child Hunger in Gaza

SIR Keir Starmer will meet Donald Trump at his Scottish golf course…
Chicago weather tomorrow: Heat Advisory issued for Monday; heat index expected to exceed 100 degrees in parts of area

Chicago Weather Update: Heat Advisory for Monday with Heat Index Over 100 Degrees Expected in Some Areas

CHICAGO (WLS) — Potentially dangerous heat is expected to impact the Chicago…
Iran's Africa activities pose 'significant threats to US national security'

Iran’s Engagement in Africa: A Major Concern for US National Security

The State Department and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…

Terrified Passengers Evacuate Plane After Landing Gear Incident Causes Smoke and Fire

THIS is the moment more than 150 terrified passengers scrambled to evacuate…
Boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi dies at 72

Boxing Legend Dwight Muhammad Qawi Passes Away at Age 72

While serving a sentence for armed robbery, he participated in the boxing…
South Chicago crime: Chicago Police Department issues warning about armed robbery incidents in South Side neighborhood

South Chicago Crime Update: Police Alert Residents About Armed Robberies in South Side Neighborhood

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago police are warning South Side residents about a…