ICE Arrests Leader of Columbia Pro-Palestine Protests

A vocal pro-Palestine graduate student at Columbia University was arrested and is being detained by ICE ahead of a scheduled appearance with a federal immigration judge, according to activists and his lawyer.

Mahmoud Khalil, who was the lead student negotiator for the pro-Palestinian encampment at the New York City college last year, was arrested Saturday night at his university-owned home by agents with the Department of Homeland Security, the Associated Press reported.

The protests at Columbia last year were allowed to run rampant for two weeks. They were marked by violent assaults and instances of Jewish students being afraid to go to class.

Khalil, who graduated in December, is in custody at an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, according to federal records.

Undergraduate student Maryam Alwan, who was arrested by New York City police officers during the encampments last year, said she was 'horrified' by that happened to Khalil.

'I am horrified for my dear friend Mahmoud, who is a legal resident, and I am horrified that this is only the beginning,' the Columbia senior told Reuters in an interview.

According to past media reports from the BBC, Khalil was a Palestinian refugee who grew up in Syria. At some point, he emigrated to the United States to get an education at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.

Amy Greer, Khalil's attorney, said she was told by a DHS agent over the phone that his team had executed a State Department order to revoke Khalil's student visa. The agent also said they were revoking his green card.

Greer told the AP that she has 'not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained.'

The activists who are lobbying for Khalil's release say he was confronted at 8:30pm in his apartment building by two plain clothes DHS agents, both of whom refused to identify themselves at first.

His wife, who is eight months pregnant and a US citizen, was allegedly there as well. The activists said she was threatened with arrest if she 'remained by his side.'

Under US law, only immigration judges have the power to take away someone's permanent residency.

Grounds for revocation including lying on your green card application or committing certain types of felonies and drug crimes.

Khalil's arrest comes as President Donald Trump announced he would be cutting $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia for its failure to contain the pro-Palestinian protests.

There is an online petition demanding the release of Khalil that has over 52,000 signatures, according to Action Network, a tool that collects political donations and serves as a base to organize letter writing campaigns.

Khalil's arrest also comes two days after Columbia University released a statement acknowledging but not confirming the presence of ICE agents on campus.

'There have been reports of ICE around campus. Columbia has and will continue to follow the law,' the Thursday statement began.

'Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings.

'Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community.'

The university has also advised students on how to deal with ICE agents, including by asking them for credentials and calling the campus public safety office.

Khalil was on the front lines of the rowdy pro-Palestine demonstrations last year that consumed college campuses all across the country.

In late April 2024, hundreds of students set up an encampment at Columbia, taking over the quad while protesting the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

On April 30, dozens of protestors took over Hamilton Hall and barricaded themselves inside before hanging a 'Free Palestine' banner from a window.

That same night, New York City police officers decked out in riot gear stormed the building and also cleared out the encampment.

Prior to the protest being busted up, Khalil was the prime conduit between the students and university administration.

Protests have since resumed at Columbia with the start of the new semester in September, though not at the same scale as last year.