A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and permanent U.S. resident, who was arrested over the weekend by immigration authorities.
Khalil, a key organizer of last year’s Gaza war protests at Columbia University in New York City, was detained on Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. His arrest aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent pledge to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses, which he referred to as “the first arrest of many to come.”
On Monday, hundreds of protesters gathered in Lower Manhattan’s Foley Square, waving Palestinian flags and demanding Khalil’s release while condemning the Trump administration’s actions. The demonstration later moved south toward City Hall, with at least one protester reportedly detained.
Columbia University Professor Michael Thaddeus called Khalil’s detention “a horrifying reality,” stating, “Our own student, a member of the Columbia community, has become a political prisoner in the United States.”
Khalil is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing, according to legal filings.
ICE officials informed Khalil during his arrest that his student visa and green card were being revoked. His lawyer, Amy Greer, denounced the action as “an egregious violation of civil liberties” and part of a broader suppression of student activism.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Khalil of “leading activities aligned with Hamas” but did not provide specific evidence. Requests for further details from DHS remain unanswered.
Trump previously announced that foreign students found to be “terrorist sympathizers” would face deportation, and Khalil’s arrest marks the first known implementation of this policy.
Khalil, a Palestinian refugee born in Syria, has not been charged with any crime. ICE initially detained him at his university-owned apartment in Manhattan before transferring him to a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana. His attorney also alleges that ICE agents threatened to arrest Khalil’s wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant, when she attempted to visit him.
Columbia University denied inviting ICE onto campus but acknowledged that law enforcement agencies can enter school property with a warrant.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the administration’s position, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
Last week, the Trump administration announced it was rescinding $400 million in federal grants to Columbia, accusing the university of failing to address antisemitism on campus.
Columbia was the focal point of last year’s nationwide student-led protests against the war in Gaza and U.S. military support for Israel. Khalil served as a lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the student group that organized a large tent encampment on the university lawn in protest.
Following his involvement, Khalil was temporarily suspended from Columbia, where he was pursuing a graduate degree at the School of International and Public Affairs.
The New York Civil Liberties Union condemned Khalil’s deportation efforts as “targeted retaliation and an extreme attack on the First Amendment.” New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed “deep concern” and confirmed that her office was monitoring the case.
Reactions to Khalil’s arrest have been divided. Some Jewish students at Columbia argued that protest rhetoric occasionally veered into antisemitism, while others actively participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Carly, a Jewish-American graduate student and friend of Khalil, described him as “a very, very caring soul” and criticized the misrepresentation of his activism.
Meanwhile, Trump’s border enforcement adviser, Tom Homan, claimed on Fox News that Khalil violated his visa terms by “locking down buildings and destroying property” during protests.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated after Hamas launched an attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The case against Khalil is expected to set a legal precedent for how the Trump administration enforces its immigration policies against foreign nationals engaged in political activism on U.S. campuses.
