NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday hosted Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Columbia University anti-Israel protest leader, at the mayor’s official residence for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Khalil was arrested by federal immigration authorities a year ago, with the Trump administration saying he was a threat to US interests and had committed fraud on his green card application. He was held in detention for several months until his court-ordered release, and has been battling deportation in court since.

Khalil has become a cause célèbre among many Democrats despite his hardline rhetoric, including calls to dismantle the Jewish state. The Trump administration’s crackdown on protesters also sparked alarm among many mainstream Jews.

Mamdani said in a statement that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, hosted Khalil and his family to break the Ramadan fast and mark the one-year anniversary of Khalil’s arrest.

Mamdani hailed Khalil’s “profound courage,” saying he was detained “for exercising his First Amendment rights in protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine.” Mamdani often accuses Israel of genocide, a charge Israel firmly rejects and that many Jews view as a libel. Mamdani says he is committed to international law, but no international court has found that Israel is guilty of genocide.

“Mahmoud is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City,” Mamdani said in the post, sharing a photo that showed Duwaji smiling at Khalil.

For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage. A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing........

© The Times of Israel