Starcast Join the waitlist
Stateside with Kai and Carter

Stateside with Kai and Carter

Mahmoud Khalil is ready to talk About ICE detention

Oct 1, 2026 · 44m

Coming soon to iPhone. Already have it? “Listen in Starcast” takes you straight there.

About this episode

After more than a year of legal limbo, Mahmoud Khalil is preparing to ask the US supreme court to hear his deportation case – and if they take it up, the outcome could have sweeping ramifications for political speech in the US. When Khalil was detained by ICE for his role in student protests at Columbia University, it was widely understood as a test case. Khalil was a legal permanent resident with a green card. The Trump administration claimed his advocacy on behalf of Palestinian people made him a threat to US foreign policy. Kai Wright speaks with Khalil about his new book, No Land To Stand On, which details what happened after ICE snatched him up, flew him across the country and…