The detention and removal to an out of state facility, of a permanent resident of the US, fellow New Yorker and alum from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is abhorrent and unnerving. SIPA, like NYC, is highly diverse - home to many points of view and belief systems - and thrives through shared humanity and finding common ground. For the Trump Administration to attempt to stamp out freedom of expression and opposition in this way is un-American and un-democratic. Period. SIPA, connected to Columbia’s Law School, is ~70% international students… I myself spent three weeks in Israel and the Palestinian Territories on behalf of SIPA as part of a peace and security delegation in 2017 - this delegation was led by Israeli and Palestinian SIPA students and faculty. I take some comfort that the greatest minds, strongest voices, and most capable legal advisory will be and, no doubt are, working to bring Mahmoud home…. To say nothing of the SIPA student body, faculty and alumni community who stand in solidarity. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/nyregion/mahmoud-khalil-ice-louisiana.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

#solidarity #alumni #sipa #columbiauniversity It may not be known than Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs was set up at the same time as the United Nations, NATO and The U.S. State Department to ensure that the world never go to war with itself again - to ensure that there were channels for dialogue and collaboration. SIPA is a feeder school to the U.S. Government and Public Private Partnership so that we always look at intractable policy problems in holistic and all-of-society ways.