Mahmoud Khalil refuses to condemn Hamas as he tours the country after being released

Mahmoud Khalil, the green card holder the Trump administration is trying to deport, refused to specifically condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization when given the chance multiple times during an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

Khalil's legal status in the United States has been targeted by the Trump administration as they seek to crack down on noncitizens who have lent their support for terrorist groups and have organized disruptive protests on college campuses. The State Department maintains that Khalil's participation in a group calling for the end of Western civilization and his support for Hamas are reason enough to revoke his green card.

"Just to be clear here, though, do you specifically condemn Hamas, a designated terrorist organization in the United States, not just for their actions on October 7?" CNN host Pamela Brown asked Khalil.

"I condemn the killing of all civilians, full stop. And —" Khalil began to reply.

"But do you condemn Hamas specifically?" Brown pressed.

"No, I'm very clear with condemning all civilians. I'm very straight in my position in that part. But it's disingenuous to ask about condemning Hamas while Palestinians are the ones being starved now by Israel. ... So I hate this selective outrage of condemnation, because this is not — this wouldn't lead to a constructive conversation," Khalil explained.

Brown then reminded Khalil the reason why it is valid to ask him if he supports Hamas is because that is one of the justifications the federal government is seeking to have him deported from the United States.

"I simply asked and protested the war in Palestine. That's what I did. That's my duty as a Palestinian, as a human being right now, is to ask for the stop of the killing in my home country. And that's consistent with who I am," Khalil said.

Host Wolf Blitzer ended the interview by praising Khalil for his strong condemnation of anti-Semitism and wishing his family good luck.

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   Photo (left): Spencer Platt/Getty Images; Photo (right): Win McNamee/Getty Images  

"It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America. The Trump Administration acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority to detain Khalil, as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews, and damages property," the Department of Homeland Security said in response to Khalil's interview.

Since being released from federal custody while his case is still pending, Khalil met with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

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