A student who made headlines during pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University has been taken into custody by federal immigration officers, according to his lawyer. Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian refugee from Syria, was a key figure in the campus protests. He was the main student negotiator for the encampment set up on campus.
Khalil was reportedly at his university-owned home when the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested him. His attorney, Amy Greer, mentioned that the protests last year at Columbia were part of a larger wave of demonstrations across the country, opposing the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel.
After news of Khalil’s detention spread, Columbia University, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State were contacted for comments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later referenced Khalil’s situation on social media, stating that visas of individuals he described as “Hamas supporters” would be revoked.
Greer stressed that Khalil has a green card and is married to an American citizen. She shared that ICE agents told him his student visa had been revoked, but that contradicts his legal status. Initially, they believed he had been moved to an ICE facility in New Jersey. However, when his wife, who is eight months pregnant, tried to visit him, she was informed he was not there.
Currently, his whereabouts are unclear. An online detainee search suggests he might be at a detention facility in New Jersey, but there are claims he could be transferred elsewhere, potentially to Louisiana. Greer described Khalil’s situation as a “terrible and inexcusable – and calculated – wrong.”
During the protests last summer, Khalil played a significant role in negotiating with university officials. The protests included a large tent encampment on campus and some students seizing an academic building for a few hours. Khalil was not part of the group arrested during that incident but faced a temporary suspension from the university later on.
This arrest follows a directive from the Trump administration aimed at deporting anyone involved in what they called “pro-jihadist protests” on college campuses. Some Jewish students at Columbia expressed concerns that the protests sometimes included antisemitic remarks, while others showed solidarity with the pro-Palestinian cause.
In a social media post, the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association supported the idea of revoking Khalil’s green card, labeling him as a leader of the protests. Additionally, the Trump administration has withheld $400 million in federal grants to Columbia, accusing the university of not taking sufficient action against antisemitism on campus. In response, Columbia’s interim president stated that cutting funding would severely impact essential university functions.
The protests occurred during a tumultuous time, marked by heightened violence in the region. The Israeli military launched a campaign against Hamas following an attack that resulted in significant casualties, both in Israel and Gaza, escalating tensions and drawing global attention to the situation.
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