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.
