A group of Democratic lawmakers has visited two detained pro-Palestinian students being held in Louisiana ICE facilities, denouncing what they call an assault on free speech and a politically driven deportation campaign by the White House.
The bipartisan trip brought representatives Cleo Fields and Troy Carter of Louisiana, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Ayanna Pressley and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts to meet with Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk—graduate students arrested in March following their involvement in pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations. The visits come as the Trump administration doubles down on its pledge to combat what it labels as antisemitism on U.S. college campuses, with a controversial strategy that critics argue violates constitutional rights.
Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student negotiator during the 2024 protests, has been held in Louisiana since March 8. Immigration officers reportedly told him he was being deported for opposing the war in Gaza. A Louisiana judge supported the administration’s position, citing a Cold War-era law allowing deportation if an individual’s presence allegedly harms U.S. foreign policy interests.
Despite not being charged with any crime, Khalil remains behind bars. His wife, Noor Abdalla, gave birth to their first child without him present, as his request for temporary release was denied by ICE. She described the decision as a deliberate act of cruelty meant to emotionally punish the family.
Öztürk, a Turkish national and PhD student at Tufts University, was detained by masked ICE officers on March 25 while walking to a Ramadan iftar. Her lawyers say she was whisked away to Louisiana under false pretenses, with ICE citing lack of space in Boston facilities. A federal court in Vermont has since ordered her return to the state by May 1, with a bail hearing scheduled for May 9.
Senator Markey condemned the administration’s tactics, accusing them of “circumscribing the constitutional rights” of the students by relocating them to a Republican-led state with slower, more conservative courts. He added that Öztürk has suffered multiple untreated asthma attacks in custody and is not receiving adequate medical attention.
The Democratic delegation also raised concerns about conditions in the detention centers. While the facilities appeared “clean,” Rep. Carter noted that many detainees complained of being kept in freezing rooms. Other cases, including that of a six-month pregnant detainee, were also brought to light during the visit.
Legal teams for both students argue that the Louisiana transfers were deliberate efforts to isolate them from their legal support systems and communities, thereby weakening their ability to challenge deportation proceedings. A joint statement by the lawmakers accused the administration of “ripping individuals from their communities” and criticized what they described as court-shopping to favor deportation outcomes.
Their call to action includes demands for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE’s acting director Todd Lyons to explain their decision-making process regarding the detention locations. With growing national attention, both Khalil and Öztürk have become symbols of a broader debate around free speech, protest rights, and political retaliation.
As their legal battles continue, lawmakers vow to stand by the students. “This is not just about immigration,” Rep. Pressley remarked. “It’s about whether we still value free expression in America—or only when it aligns with those in power.”
