A prominent Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, known for his leadership in the student encampment movement at Columbia University, was arrested on Saturday night by federal immigration authorities. According to Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, the agents claimed they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card.
Khalil was at his university-owned apartment, located just blocks from Columbia’s Manhattan campus, when several agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered the building and took him into custody. Greer reported that one of the agents informed her via phone that they were executing a State Department order to revoke Khalil’s student visa. However, when Greer explained that Khalil, who graduated in December, was in the U.S. as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent stated that they were revoking that as well.
This arrest occurs amid heightened tensions following President Donald Trump's pledge to deport foreign students and imprison “agitators” involved in protests against Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Trump administration has particularly scrutinized Columbia University, recently announcing plans to cut $400 million in grants and contracts due to what they describe as the Ivy League institution's failure to address antisemitism on campus.
Greer also noted that authorities did not provide Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, with any information regarding the reasons for his detention. Khalil has since been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Greer told The Associated Press. “This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.”
A spokesperson for Columbia University stated that law enforcement agents must produce a warrant before entering university property. However, the spokesperson did not confirm whether the school had received a warrant for Khalil’s arrest. Efforts to obtain comments from the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE have not yet yielded a response.
Mahmoud Khalil has emerged as one of the most visible figures in the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia. Last spring, as students erected tents on campus to protest, Khalil was chosen to serve as a negotiator on behalf of the student body, engaging in frequent discussions with university administrators.
The implications of Khalil's arrest resonate beyond his personal situation, reflecting the broader climate of political and social tensions surrounding immigration policy and student activism in the United States.
