FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Garriga | [email protected] 

CODEPINK New York to Deliver Letter to Columbia University President Katrina Armstrong

New York, NY – CODEPINK, led by CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans, will attempt to deliver a letter to the interim president of Columbia University, Katrina A. Armstrong, on March 18th at 12:30pm ET at the office of the president, 202 Low Library, 535 W. 116 St., MC 4309 New York, to stand in solidarity with Mahmoud Khalil and demand Columbia protect its students. Participants will attempt to deliver the letter despite Columbia’s locked-down campus which only allows students to enter. 

The letter has already been sent directly to the president’s email by over 3,600 individuals, and echoes the demands of Columbia’s students, which include:

• 1. Classes must be canceled or moved online until noncitizens are provided the necessary resources and support.
• 2. Columbia must make a public statement on Mahmoud Khalil’s detention and disclose its role in his arrest.
• 3. Columbia must reaffirm its commitment to being a sanctuary campus and take concrete action to protect its students from ICE, ensuring that what happened to Mahmoud Khalil never happens again.

DELIVERY DETAILS:
Date: March 18, 2025
Time: 12:30 PM ET
Location: 202 Low Library, 535 W. 116 St., MC 4309 New York, NY

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and graduate of Columbia University, was recently the target of political repression by the Trump administration. On March 8th, he was removed from his university-owned housing by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and placed in ICE detention despite holding a valid green card. Just one day before Khalil’s detainment, he emailed Katrina Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia University, appealing to the university for protection. He specifically cited a doxxing campaign by Columbia affiliates and fears of deportation. Columbia failed to offer him the necessary protection, and he sits in ICE detention while his 8-months pregnant wife worries for his safety and immigration status. 

“The dehumanization of students by those entrusted to create a space for education and care of students is horrific. All driven by propaganda, political agendas, a foreign government and fascist behaviors. This began when they invited NYPD to Colombia in violation of the students’ rights and while they were acting from the human values we go to school to learn,” said CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans. 

For more information, please contact Nour  Jaghama at [email protected].

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