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Council Member Avilés urges action on detention of Mahmoud Khalil
1:14:55
·
76 sec
Council Member Alexa Avilés makes a passionate plea for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student detained for exercising his First Amendment rights in support of Palestinian rights. She condemns the action as an assault on democracy, human rights, and due process.
- Avilés describes Khalil as having his green card and student visa revoked, separating him from his pregnant US citizen wife.
- She characterizes the detention as the "first disappearance of someone here legally" in the United States.
- Avilés warns that this action sets a dangerous precedent, asking her colleagues to consider "who is next" if such detentions are allowed.