Palestinian activist student detained by officials at Columbia University

ICE had orders from the State Department to revoke Mahmoud Khalil's student visa

By María Paula Mijares Torres

 

A Palestinian student activist at Columbia University who led anti-Israel protests last spring was detained by immigration authorities at his home. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials entered the university-owned building in Manhattan on Saturday where Mahmoud Khalil lived and took him into custody, according to his attorney Amy Greer, the Associated Press reported. 

 

ICE had orders from the State Department to revoke Khalil’s student visa, the AP said. Greer said Khalil, who was born in Syria, was a permanent legal resident, but ICE officials told her they were also revoking his green card.

 

“We will vigorously be pursuing Mahmoud’s rights in court, and will continue our efforts to right this terrible and inexcusable – and calculated – wrong committed against him,” Greer said in an emailed statement.

 

It’s unusual to arrest a green-card holder in the absence of a serious criminal offense. Revoking a green card is often a lengthy legal process because the holder has already been vetted and is on the way to being eligible to become a US citizen.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X: “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.” He included a link to the AP story in the post.

 

Columbia University issued a statement saying the school would comply with federal law. 

 

“Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community,” the university said. “We are also committed to the legal rights of our students and urge all members of the community to be respectful of those rights.”

 

The arrest appears to be the first step by federal authorities to make good on President Donald Trump’s promise to deport international students who participated in anti-Israel protests on college campuses. Jewish students have said they were harassed and assaulted during those events, and the Department of Homeland Security said the arrest was made “in support” of the executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism. 

 

“Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson. 

 

The Trump administration on Friday canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University in an effort to punish higher education institutions for failing to address antisemitism on campuses and warned that more punishments may follow. 

 

“This blatantly unconstitutional act sends a deplorable message that freedom of speech is no longer protected in America,” New York Immigration Coalition President and Chief Executive Officer Murad Awawdeh said in a press release Sunday.