The Department of Homeland Security said this week that the Columbia University student activist being held in detention should “self-deport” when asked why he was initially denied a request to hold his newborn baby during a family visit.

Mahmoud Kahlil, a Palestinian who grew up in a refugee camp in Syria and who holds a green card to legally reside in the United States, was arrested after leading pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia and has been imprisoned in a Louisiana Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center for the last two months.

While in detention, Khalil made a request to see his wife and son, who was born on April 21, which was initially denied by DHS and the private prison company that operates the detention center. A judge overruled this denial, granting Khalil permission to have a “single, joint meeting” that follows  “conditions (including as to length of time and confidentiality) that are appropriate for a substantial attorney-client meeting.”

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