Judge Orders Mahmoud Khalil Released on Bail — But the Fight Isn’t Over

In a powerful rebuke to Trump’s Department of Justice, Judge Michael Farbiarz has once again ordered the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and activist who’s been detained for months in a politically charged case.

Khalil was arrested in March after participating in peaceful, pro-Palestinian protests. His detention drew national attention as a chilling example of how dissent—particularly speech critical of Israel’s war in Gaza—is being criminalized in the United States.

This week, Judge Farbiarz ordered Khalil released on bail, rejecting the DOJ’s latest attempt to delay his freedom while they appeal the ruling. But this moment, while significant, is not the end of Khalil’s legal battle. It’s just the beginning of the next phase.

Khalil’s case is not over. As the legal challenge to his immigration status continues, he’s being forced to surrender his Algerian passport—even though Judge Farbiarz has stated clearly that Khalil is not a flight risk. The judge’s ruling makes it plain: Mahmoud Khalil is being persecuted for exercising his First Amendment rights.

The crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech is not limited to individual activists like Khalil. Just last year, 22 members of Congress—including 22 Democrats—voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib for the same kind of speech Khalil expressed: opposition to genocide and support for Palestinian human rights.

Of those 22 Democrats, 18 were funded by AIPAC. For six of them, AIPAC was the single largest donor.

That’s AIPAC’s strategy: buy them if you can, bully them if you can’t.

Track AIPAC was created to shut down that strategy—and expose the web of dark money, political pressure, and repression being used to silence critics of Israeli policy.

We will not accept this assault on free speech as normal. We will not stand by while people like Mahmoud Khalil are arrested, isolated, and deported for opposing genocide.

Every hour Khalil remains detained after a federal judge ordered his release is an assault on the foundation of our collective liberty.

The ruling in Khalil’s favor is a victory—but it is not justice. Not yet. The pressure must continue until Mahmoud is fully free and safe, and until the political forces behind his detention are held to account.