Mamdani hosts Mahmoud Khalil for Iftar on anniversary of his detention

NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted activist Mahmoud Khalil for iftar at Gracie Mansion on the one-year anniversary of his arrest, describing the past year as one of “profound hardship and profound courage.”

On March 9, 2025, Khalil was arrested from his residence at Columbia University by Department of Homeland Security agents for participating in protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Exactly one year later, he sat at Gracie Mansion breaking his fast with Mamdani and the mayor’s wife, Rama Duwaji, alongside Khalil’s own wife and son.

Mamdani shared a photo of the gathering on Instagram.

In his caption, Mamdani described how Khalil had been “detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE facility for months,” during which time he was “forced to miss the birth of his first child” — all for “exercising his First Amendment rights in protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

The mayor said New Yorkers had risen up for Khalil, ultimately winning his freedom and reuniting him with his child. “He is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City,” Mamdani wrote.

Khalil was among the first detained during Trump’s second term for protesting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed over 72,000 Palestinians.

His arrest was widely condemned by rights groups and academics. After a series of court battles, he was released in June, though a subsequent appeal overturned that ruling. He has not yet been rearrested.