New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has decided that one of the most controversial figures tied to the anti-Israel protest movement belongs inside the official residence of the mayor of New York City.
Last night, Mamdani welcomed Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family to Gracie Mansion for an iftar dinner marking the one-year anniversary of Khalil’s detention by federal authorities. The mayor did not treat the moment as a quiet religious gathering or a private meeting between acquaintances. He turned the dinner into a political statement and broadcast it publicly.
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