Mamdani Makes Controversial Move As Conflict With Iran Intensifies
Mamdani Makes Controversial Move As Conflict With Iran Intensifies
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted controversial anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family for a Ramadan dinner at Gracie Mansion. Khalil, a Syrian-born activist and former Columbia University graduate student, attended the gathering with his wife, Noor, and their young son, Deen, The New York Post reported. The mayor posted about the event on Instagram on Monday, including a photo from the evening.
“Last night, as we marked the one-year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor, and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together,” Mamdani wrote.
The photo showed Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, holding a plate of food while standing next to Khalil, who sat smiling during the meal.
The dinner was held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when many Muslims fast from dawn until sunset before gathering with family and friends to break the fast.
Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement early last year and has been fighting deportation proceedings.
The Trump administration accused Khalil of committing fraud on his green card application.
Officials have also alleged that Khalil supports Hamas, the Palestinian militant group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israel.
The administration has relied in part on a rarely used federal statute that allows noncitizens to be deported if their beliefs are deemed a potential threat to U.S. foreign policy interests.
Mamdani praised Khalil in his social media post and described the past year as difficult for the activist and his family.
For Mamdani, Khalil’s year “has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage,” he wrote.
“And yet, even in the face of that cruelty, there has also been beauty. New Yorkers raising their voices in solidarity. A city refusing to look away. Mahmoud won his freedom, and a father was finally reunited with his child,” the mayor added.
Khalil spent several months in federal custody at a detention facility in Louisiana while the case moved through the courts.
During that time, Khalil’s son was born while he remained in ICE custody.
“Mahmoud is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City,” Mamdani wrote.
Mamdani has repeatedly defended Khalil during the legal battle.
Khalil was released from custody after a three-judge panel in New Jersey ruled in June that he should have been allowed to pursue the immigration process outside of detention.
The mayor argued earlier this year that Khalil’s arrest raised broader questions about free speech protections.
“I see this attack on him as part of a larger attack on the freedom of speech that is especially pronounced when it comes to the use of that speech to stand up for policy to human rights,” Mamdani said at a press conference in January.
Khalil has also drawn criticism over comments he made regarding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
In an interview with The New York Times, Khalil described the violence as a turning point in the Palestinian struggle.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid such a moment,” Khalil said. “To me, it felt frightening that we had to reach this moment in the Palestinian struggle.”
Critics said the remarks appeared to justify the attacks carried out by Hamas.
The White House condemned the comments at the time and accused Khalil of minimizing the brutality of the assault.
Khalil later drew additional attention after appearing at an anti-Israel rally in New York City following his release from custody.
During the rally, he quoted alleged Hamas terrorist and Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who was killed in an Israeli missile strike last August.
“The time is now, the bridges towards liberation start with us,” Khalil said as he repeated what he described as al-Sharif’s final words.
The dinner at Gracie Mansion comes as the controversy surrounding Khalil continues to draw attention in both political and legal circles.
Democratic Candidate Arrested After Outburst at Texas Redistricting Hearing
Tensions ran high at the Texas Capitol Thursday as lawmakers held their first public hearing on a controversial plan to redraw the state’s congressional map just four years after the last one was finalized.
The five-hour hearing, hosted by the Texas House Redistricting Committee, drew dozens of speakers from across the state, CBS Austin reported. Not a single person spoke in favor of the redistricting effort.
The most dramatic moment came at the end, when District 18 congressional candidate Isaiah Martin was forcibly removed by Capitol security after refusing to stop speaking when his two-minute limit ran out.
“The sergeants are directed to remove the gentleman from the room,” said Chairman Cody Vasut, as Martin struggled with security and shouted, “History will not remember you for what you have done!”
According to online jail records, Martin was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety and is now facing charges of criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, and disrupting an official meeting.
His brother posted on social media that Isaiah may be in jail for up to three days.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) claims the mid-cycle redistricting is necessary to address constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ flagged four Democratic-held, majority-minority districts as potential legal issues.
But many speakers rejected that reasoning.
“We deserve representation,” said Gabriel Rosales, Texas director for the League of United Latin American Citizens. “It is your responsibility to allow for diversity to be a part of the representation that we have going to Congress.”
Republican members of the committee barely engaged with those testifying, according to a report. At times, GOP state lawmakers were seen checking their phones or talking among themselves, frustrating Democratic panel members.
“I guess we’ll see at the end of this process whether the people sitting around these dioses are listening to this or whether it’s a kangaroo court.” Rep. Jolanda Jones complained.
No draft maps were released during the hearing, and no official explanation was given about which districts could be affected.
Abbott’s office maintains the move is in response to a July letter from the DOJ, which said District 33 and three other seats may be racially gerrymandered.
But many speakers argued the real reason is political pressure from Washington; President Trump has publicly urged Texas Republicans to add five more GOP-leaning seats before the 2026 midterms.
Texas has 38 congressional seats—25 currently held by Republicans.
“Have you seen any proposed maps that the White House or Trump’s operatives have sent?” asked Rep. Chris Turner. “No,” replied the Republican chair.
Civil rights leaders warned that the plan would further dilute the voting power of communities of color, who have driven nearly all of the state’s population growth.
“If this proposal goes through,” said Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, “that means 84 percent of congressional seats would be controlled by white voters. If Trump gets five more seats, it becomes 87 percent.”
“If that doesn’t tell Black and Brown people they don’t matter, it absolutely does,” he added.
Others warned the plan would damage local economies and disrupt tight-knit communities.
“Please don’t forget that as Texans, we do not— we do not—bend the knee to anyone in Washington,” said Alicia Perez-Hodge, a longtime conservative activist who opposed the process.
Angela Valenzuela, another LULAC member, called the redistricting push “reckless.”
“Y’all are being played big time,” she said. “Have some self-respect here.”
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Two more public hearings are scheduled. One will take place in Houston on Saturday at the University of Houston at 11 a.m. The other will be in Arlington on Monday at UT-Arlington at 5 p.m.
Each hearing will be limited to five hours of public testimony, with two minutes per speaker, said reports.
