New York – The arrest of Palestinian graduate student Mahmoud Khalil by federal immigration authorities has sparked outrage and concern among the academic community. Khalil, who played a prominent role in last spring’s anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, was taken into custody on Saturday night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
According to his attorney, Amy Greer, Khalil was inside his university-owned residence near Columbia’s Manhattan campus when the agents entered and arrested him. Greer spoke to one of the ICE agents during the arrest, who informed her that they were acting on State Department orders to revoke Khalil’s student visa. When Greer informed the agent that Khalil was a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that as well.
This arrest appears to be one of the first known actions under President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport international students who participated in the protests against Israel’s war in Gaza last spring. The Trump administration has accused these students of forfeiting their rights to remain in the country by supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
Khalil, who served as a negotiator for the students during their talks with university officials to end the tent encampment on campus, was one of the few student activists who openly shared his name and identity. However, the authorities declined to provide any information to Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, about the reason for his arrest.
Greer stated that Khalil has been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and they have not been able to obtain any further details about his detention. She also expressed concern over the clear escalation of actions by the administration and their follow-through on their threats.
A spokesperson for Columbia University stated that law enforcement agents must produce a warrant before entering university property, but declined to comment on whether the school had received one prior to Khalil’s arrest. The spokesperson also did not comment on Khalil’s detention.
Requests for comment were made to the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE, but no response has been received yet.
According to Camille Mackler, founder of Immigrant ARC, a coalition of legal service providers in New York, the Department of Homeland Security can initiate deportation proceedings against green card holders for a wide range of alleged criminal activities, including supporting a designated terror group. However, it would ultimately be up to an immigration judge to revoke someone’s permanent resident status.
Mackler also expressed her concern over the appearance of this being a retaliatory action against someone who expressed an opinion that the Trump administration did not agree with.
Khalil was one of the students investigated by a new office at Columbia University, which has brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students for expressing criticism of Israel. These investigations come as the Trump administration has increased scrutiny on the university, accusing it of failing to address anti-Semitism on campus. On Friday, federal agencies announced that they would be cutting $400 million in grants and contracts from the university.
The allegation against Khalil focused on his involvement with the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group, claiming that he helped organize an “unauthorized marching event” that glorified Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and played a significant role in circulating social media posts criticizing Zionism.
In an interview with the AP last week, Khalil stated that he has around 13 allegations against him, most of which are related to social media posts that he had no involvement in. He also expressed his belief that this is an attempt by the government to show Congress and right-wing politicians that they are taking action, regardless of the consequences for students. He believes that this office is mainly used to suppress pro-Palestine speech.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil has raised concerns about the targeting of students who express their political views and the potential consequences for their immigration status. The academic community is calling for transparency and accountability from the government in this matter and urging them to uphold the rights of students to express their opinions without fear of retaliation.
