New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani welcomed anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family to Gracie Mansion on March 10, 2026, to break the Ramadan fast, marking the one-year anniversary of Khalil's detention by federal agents. The event drew criticism as a challenge to the Trump administration's deportation efforts against Khalil, whom the Department of Homeland Security has accused of sympathizing with Hamas. Mamdani described Khalil's experience as one of hardship and courage, while accusing Israel of genocide in Palestine.
On March 10, 2026, New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on social media about hosting Mahmoud Khalil, his wife Noor, and their son Deen at Gracie Mansion for an iftar dinner to break the Ramadan fast. The gathering commemorated the one-year anniversary of Khalil's detention by federal agents while he was walking home after an iftar with his wife. Mamdani's post stated: "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…"
Khalil, a Green Card holder of Palestinian descent, faces deportation ordered by the federal government. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that "Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization," according to then-DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. DHS added: "It is a privilege, not a right to be in this country to live or to study. And if you are pushing propaganda that relishes the killings of Americans or promotes terrorists, the door’s that way."
Mamdani portrayed Khalil as a victim of "cruelty" for exercising First Amendment rights and used the occasion to accuse Israel of committing "genocide" in "Palestine." After a CNN appearance, DHS responded: "Mahmoud Khalil refuses to condemn Hamas because he IS a terrorist sympathizer not because DHS ‘painted’ him as one. He ‘branded’ himself as antisemite through his own hateful behavior and rhetoric."
Deportation proceedings have been delayed by legal appeals. In January 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that Khalil's challenge must proceed through the immigration court system, without ordering immediate deportation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on March 6, 2025: "Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security. The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists."
The dinner occurred amid reports of an attempted terrorist attack outside Gracie Mansion by young supporters of radical Islam, which Mamdani's post followed shortly after. Mamdani condemned a separate "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City" protest as involving white supremacists but was slower to address the alleged Islamist plot, according to sources.
