According to the New York Post, Mamdani has been acting as a public advocate for Khalil during the legal battle over his immigration status.
By Shula Rosen
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted anti-Israeli activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family for an iftar meal at Gracie Mansion earlier this week, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
The Ramadan fast-breaking gathering took place at the mayor’s official residence and included Khalil, his wife Noor and their young son Dean. Mamdani publicized the event on Monday through a post on his Instagram account.
“Last night, marking a year since his arrest, Rama (Mamdani’s wife) and I had the great honor of hosting Mahmoud, Noor, and their son Dean at Gracie Mansion to break the fast together,” Mamdani wrote.
The mayor also shared a photograph from the evening that showed Khalil seated at the table and enjoying the meal while Mamdani’s wife stood beside him holding a plate of food.
Khalil, a Syrian-born social activist and former master’s student at Columbia University, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the beginning of last year.
The Trump administration has since pursued deportation proceedings against him, alleging that he committed fraud in his green card application.
US officials have also accused Khalil of supporting the Hamas organization.
According to the administration, authorities are using a rarely invoked legal mechanism that allows for the removal of non-citizen residents if their beliefs or activities could threaten core US foreign policy interests.
According to the Post, Mamdani has been acting as a public advocate for Khalil during the legal battle over his immigration status.
For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage.
A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE… pic.twitter.com/6dBtLh0GeT
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 10, 2026
Khalil spent three months in a federal detention center in Louisiana before a three-judge panel in New Jersey ruled last June that he could continue his immigration proceedings while remaining free.
“For Mahmoud Khalil, the past year has been marked by profound hardship, but also by great courage,” Mamdani wrote.
“And yet, even in the face of this cruelty, there was also beauty. We saw New Yorkers raising their voices in solidarity. This is a city that refuses to look the other way. Mahmoud regained his freedom, and a father was finally reunited with his child.”
Khalil’s son, the couple’s first child, was born while his father was in immigration custody several states away. The child is expected to celebrate his first birthday next month.
“Mahmoud is a New Yorker, and his natural place is here in New York City,” Mamdani said earlier this year during a January press conference.
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