Northeast
Judge gives Mahmoud Khalil legal team more time to review immigration case
A judge granted Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil’s legal team more time to review his immigration case during a hearing Friday in Louisiana.
Khalil, a 30-year-old green card holder who is married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on March 8. He is facing possible deportation over his alleged support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, although he has not been charged with a crime.
The judge at Lasalle Immigration Court in Jena said she thinks Khalil “deserves more time” to prepare before a pleading and delayed further proceedings until April 8.
A lawyer representing the Department of Homeland Security originally objected to the matter, arguing that Khalil is being “held at the government’s expense.” However, Khalil’s attorney told the judge that “these are serious charges, we need time to review.”
VIDEO SHOWS ARREST OF COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL RINGLEADER MAHMOUD KHALIL
Mahmoud Khalil allegedly played a major role in the protests against Israel at Columbia University. (Ted Shaffrey/AP)
Khalil looked calm throughout the hearing, which unfolded in a small, windowless courtroom. He spoke relatively quietly in his responses to the judge and seemed somewhat relaxed. The judge asked him what language he understood best and he said English and Arabic, and when she asked if they could proceed in English, he said yes.
Khalil played a major role in the anti-Israel protests at Columbia.
In a letter released by his attorneys on Tuesday, Khalil characterized his arrest as “indicative of anti-Palestinian racism.” He also blamed Columbia’s administration, including former university President Minouche Shafik, who was criticized for failing to adequately respond to allegations of antisemitic behavior from activists on campus before she ultimately stepped down.
“My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the U.S. has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention,” Khalil wrote. “For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand U.S. laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted.”
COLUMBIA STUDENT CLAIMS CLASSMATE ARRESTED BY ICE ‘HATES AMERICA’
Mahmoud Khalil tells his wife to call his lawyer, Amy, when being arrested. (The Family of Mahmoud Khalil)
In one of the first legal victories for Khalil, a judge on Wednesday ordered his deportation case be heard in New Jersey, not Louisiana, where he is being held. The judge cited a law that required the case be held in the same jurisdiction where Khalil’s attorneys first filed a lawsuit to challenge his detention.
The Trump administration previously said there was a bedbug infestation at the detention facility in New Jersey, near Khalil’s arrest, leading them to have to ship him to Louisiana.
LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, La., where Khalil appeared for a hearing on Friday, March 21. (Olivianna Calmes/Fox News)
“His unlawful and unjust detention cannot stand. We will not stop fighting until he is home with me,” Noor Abdalla, his wife, said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union earlier this week.
Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
New Hampshire
State investigation highlights communication lapses over proposed ICE facility in Merrimack
A Newark man has been arrested and charged with murder after police said he opened fire in a New Jersey Chick-fil-A, killing a man and leaving six other people hurt.
Jaheed Fields was busted nearly three weeks after the shooting in the Union Township fast food shop, county prosecutor William Daniel announced Friday.
Fields, 20, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder, as well as unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
“The brazen nature of this incident, occurring in a crowded restaurant where people should feel safe, was an affront to our citizens and the security they deserve,” Daniel said.
“This arrest is a testament to the meticulous work and seamless coordination between all of the law enforcement agencies involved, and a reminder that Union County will never tolerate acts of lawlessness that threaten our residents.”
Officials did not reveal a motive for the shooting.
Fields allegedly fired several rounds inside the Chick-fil-A around 9 p.m. on April 11, with witnesses describing the scene as a “warzone.”
Malek Shepherd, 23, of New York City, was killed at the scene, police said.
Six other victims were taken to area hospitals and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses at the time said a group of masked men charged into the shop and fired multiple shots after forcing their way behind the counter.
It’s unclear if additional arrests were expected.
Next month, 50 kids from across New England will be dressed in their best as they walk the runway at this year’s Glimmer Gala.
It’s an evening for childhood cancer survivors to feel like celebrities.
“For them, not only do they get to feel like a normal kid doing a normal activity, but they get to feel larger than life,” said Alison Hornung, founder and CEO of the Glimmer of Hope Foundation. “I hear the kids go into their classrooms after and say, ‘I got to walk the runway show and I got to do a photo shoot.’”
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That photo shoot and shopping spree are something each child, like 6-year-old Bella Berg from Lexington, gets to take part in.
“For everything that they go through and that loss of identity, it really makes them feel like they’re beautiful and strong, inside and outside,” Hornung said.
The Glimmer of Hope Foundation started six years ago. It brings hope to families whose children are battling cancer. This year’s gala is expected to be their biggest yet, with at least 500 people expected to attend.
Breanna Marie Breanna Marie
The goal is to give the kids confidence and make them feel special.
“They get to be alongside kids that are going through the same thing as them, so they don’t feel different,” said Hornung. “They just feel seen and understood.”
The Glimmer Gala takes place Saturday June 13 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Click here for more.
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