Being detained for more than 100 days without charge with the threat of deportation looming over him did not break the spirit of Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil, he told CNN, but he can never forgive being prevented from being present at the birth of his son.

A Columbia University graduate held for months in connection with his pro-Palestinian activism was released on June 20 from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement custody, according to the student's legal team.

Anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil was honored at a protest outside Columbia University just days after being released from an immigration detention center.