Lawmakers Demand Release of Khalil, Öztürk from ICE Detention

A delegation of Democratic lawmakers visited two immigration detention centers in Louisiana to meet with Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, and Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University PhD student, both detained after participating in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Neither Khalil nor Öztürk has been charged with a crime, but the Trump administration is seeking their deportation under a rarely used law citing 'adverse foreign policy consequences.' Lawmakers criticized the detentions as politically motivated and demanded their immediate release, arguing the students are being punished for exercising free speech. The administration has accused Khalil of supporting Hamas due to his protest involvement and Öztürk of being a terrorist sympathizer after publishing an op-ed critical of her university's response to the Israel-Hamas war. Both students have challenged the legality of their detention in federal court. The case has sparked debate over due process, freedom of speech, and the use of immigration laws to target activists.