Fourteen members of the US Congress have called for the release of Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil, who led protests at Columbia University in solidarity with Gaza.

This came in a letter sent by 14 members of Congress to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, according to ABC News.

The letter confirmed that Khalil was arrested without a warrant or charges, noting that he is a permanent resident and married to a US citizen.

The letter described Khalil's arrest as an "attempt to criminalize political protest" and a "direct attack on freedom of expression," stressing that Khalil has not been charged or convicted of any crime.

"He was targeted solely because of his activism, presence, and role as a student leader and negotiator at the Gaza Solidarity Camp on Columbia University's campus," she said.

It considered Khalil's arrest "anti-Palestinian racism aimed at silencing the Palestine solidarity movement" in the United States, stating that Khalil's constitutional rights were violated by preventing him from meeting his lawyer and family.

Commenting on Khalil's arrest, Human Rights Watch affirmed that freedom of expression is a human right.

"The United States is obligated under international law to respect this right, and Mahmoud Khalil's arrest is an outrageous assault on that right," she said.

On Sunday, US authorities arrested the Palestinian student who led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year, denouncing the genocide being committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Amy Greer, the Palestinian student's attorney, confirmed in a statement that Khalil was arrested despite being in the United States as a "permanent resident with a green card," being married to an American woman, and that authorities had revoked his green card.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously said in a post on Twitter, accompanied by a photo of Khalil, "We will revoke the visas or green cards of Hamas supporters in the US so they can be deported."

In January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on "combating anti-Semitism," allowing the deportation of students who participate in demonstrations in support of Palestine.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 160,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.