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A Columbia University student who helped lead last year’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations has been arrested by federal immigration authorities.
Mahmoud Khalil was detained Saturday night by Department of Homeland Security agents, according to his lawyer Amy Greer. The agents said they were acting on orders from the State Department to revoke his green card, Greer said.
Multiple immigration agents took Khalil into custody around 8:30 p.m. after entering his building, which is owned by Columbia University, according to his lawyer.
Khalil, who is Palestinian and Syrian, was able to call Greer from the lobby, she said, and one of the agents got on the phone to speak to her. When the agent told her the State Department had revoked his student visa, Greer said she informed the agent that Khalil is a lawful permanent resident.
“And the agent said they revoked that too,” said Greer. (LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!) The agent hung up when she said she needed to see a warrant before Khalil could be detained, according to Greer. (More LOL!).... Khalil finished his studies in December and plans to walk in the school’s coming graduation ceremony, she said. During the protests he took on the role of negotiator between his group and administrators, his lawyer said.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said on Sunday night that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had arrested Khalil “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism.”
She said Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization” and his arrest was done in coordination with the Department of State. DHS didn’t provide details about the allegation.
A State Department spokesperson said the agency doesn’t comment on individual cases, citing visa confidentiality laws.
Columbia University said that law enforcement needs a judicial warrant to enter nonpublic areas, such as housing. A spokeswoman didn’t respond when asked in an email if the school had seen a warrant in Khalil’s case.
Khalil’s detention came a day after the Trump administration said it would cancel roughly $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University. The Ivy League school has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration for an alleged failure to protect Jewish students.
The grants in question are from the Department of Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration and the Education Department. In response, Columbia University said it is reviewing the agencies’ moves and pledged “to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal funding,” adding that the school is “committed to combating antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
Greer said she hadn’t heard from Khalil since he was detained. “It’s hard to imagine how this could be separate and apart” from the Trump administration’s recent actions, she said.
The Justice Department has said it is sending a task force to visit Columbia and a group of other universities that have dealt with antisemitism. Those schools had some of the biggest pro-Palestinian demonstrations that disrupted campuses last year and prompted rebukes from across the political spectrum.
Columbia drew especially heated criticism from some alumni for what they perceived as the university’s tepid response.
ICE Arrests Columbia Student Who Helped Lead Pro-Palestinian Protests
Mahmoud Khalil was picked up by immigration officers who said they were acting on State Department orders to revoke his green card, his lawyer say
A Columbia University student who helped lead last year’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations has been arrested by federal immigration authorities.
Mahmoud Khalil was detained Saturday night by Department of Homeland Security agents, according to his lawyer Amy Greer. The agents said they were acting on orders from the State Department to revoke his green card, Greer said.
Multiple immigration agents took Khalil into custody around 8:30 p.m. after entering his building, which is owned by Columbia University, according to his lawyer.
Khalil, who is Palestinian and Syrian, was able to call Greer from the lobby, she said, and one of the agents got on the phone to speak to her. When the agent told her the State Department had revoked his student visa, Greer said she informed the agent that Khalil is a lawful permanent resident.
“And the agent said they revoked that too,” said Greer. (LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!) The agent hung up when she said she needed to see a warrant before Khalil could be detained, according to Greer. (More LOL!).... Khalil finished his studies in December and plans to walk in the school’s coming graduation ceremony, she said. During the protests he took on the role of negotiator between his group and administrators, his lawyer said.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said on Sunday night that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had arrested Khalil “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism.”
She said Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization” and his arrest was done in coordination with the Department of State. DHS didn’t provide details about the allegation.
A State Department spokesperson said the agency doesn’t comment on individual cases, citing visa confidentiality laws.
Columbia University said that law enforcement needs a judicial warrant to enter nonpublic areas, such as housing. A spokeswoman didn’t respond when asked in an email if the school had seen a warrant in Khalil’s case.
Khalil’s detention came a day after the Trump administration said it would cancel roughly $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University. The Ivy League school has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration for an alleged failure to protect Jewish students.
The grants in question are from the Department of Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration and the Education Department. In response, Columbia University said it is reviewing the agencies’ moves and pledged “to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal funding,” adding that the school is “committed to combating antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
Greer said she hadn’t heard from Khalil since he was detained. “It’s hard to imagine how this could be separate and apart” from the Trump administration’s recent actions, she said.
The Justice Department has said it is sending a task force to visit Columbia and a group of other universities that have dealt with antisemitism. Those schools had some of the biggest pro-Palestinian demonstrations that disrupted campuses last year and prompted rebukes from across the political spectrum.
Columbia drew especially heated criticism from some alumni for what they perceived as the university’s tepid response.
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