The Leadership Conference Condemns Trump’s Weaponization of Immigration Enforcement Against Human Rights Protesters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement condemning the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of Arab descent, recent Columbia University graduate, and activist for Palestinian human rights, and the Trump administration’s broader campaign to silence dissent and divide communities:

“We are supposed to be a nation of laws, and the highest law of the land is the U.S. Constitution. Reports about the Trump administration’s arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil raise profound concerns about whether or not we remain a nation of laws, which include due process and civil liberties. This arrest — and threats to revoke immigration status of those who exercise their right to protest in support of Palestinian human rights — weaponizes law enforcement and signals retribution that threatens every one of us. 

“As we stated in our previous position on campus protests, we must support the right of people to nonviolently protest and petition for change. We stated that ‘We must unequivocally reject hate, bigotry, and discrimination and to embrace support for the opportunity of students to learn safely — even while expressing their identities and viewpoints.’ Those viewpoints include those of Khalil. Like Trump’s executive orders that seek to erase birthright citizenship from the Constitution, threaten the use of the U.S. military domestically, and other abuses of power, the detention of Khalil is another attack on our constitutional democracy by rolling back civil rights.

“Immigration detention without adequate due process is a profound injustice not only to all who are now threatened with similar treatment — the administration has also made clear its intention to target other peaceful protesters, particularly but not necessarily only those with immigrant backgrounds. We cannot allow a government that detains legal residents based on their political expression and uses immigration enforcement as a weapon to silence dissent.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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