Schatz Statement On Wrongful ICE Detention Of Former Columbia University Student

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s illegal detainment of former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil which is being contested in federal court today.

“Detaining a green card holder for removal from the country without due process is wrong – regardless of the circumstances. It is a violation of the law and sets us down a dangerous path where people who are in the country legally can be detained, disappeared, and removed without any recourse. Donald Trump has explicitly said that the detention of Mahmoud Khalil is ‘the first arrest of many to come.’ That should chill any American who believes in the constitutional rights to free speech and due process which apply to everyone, not just those whom we agree with. If a crime has been committed – which has not been alleged in this particular case – it should be litigated in the courts, not prosecuted through a detention in the shadows. The United States must remain a nation of laws and a nation that lives up to our aspirations of freedom for everyone, including immigrants.”

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