Immigration Officials Detain Prominent Pro-Palestinian Student Protester

Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian student at Columbia University, has been detained by ICE agents, raising concerns about his legal status as a permanent resident and the implications of his activism against government policies.

A student prominent in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, has been detained by federal immigration authorities, raising serious concerns regarding the treatment of activists and legal status for permanent residents. Khalil, a Palestinian refugee originally from Syria, was known as a lead negotiator during the encampments at the Manhattan campus supporting pro-Palestinian efforts against the ongoing Gaza conflict.

According to his attorney, Amy Greer, Khalil was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a raid at his university housing on Saturday. The protests at Columbia last year had positioned the university at the forefront of a national outcry against the war in Gaza and the U.S.'s support for Israel.

Greer stated that ICE agents claimed Khalil’s student visa was revoked; however, she confirmed that he holds a green card and is married to an American citizen. Following his detention, his wife, who is pregnant and reportedly faced threats of arrest during the incident, attempted to visit Khalil at an ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but was informed that he was not being held there. Despite conflicting reports about his whereabouts, a detainee locator suggested Khalil was at the Elizabeth facility.

Greer condemned Khalil’s detention as a "terrible and inexcusable – and calculated – wrong." Throughout last summer's protests, Khalil was actively involved in negotiations with the university's administration as students established a notable visible presence on campus, including a tent encampment protesting actions against Gaza. Khalil was suspended temporarily from the university during this period.

Khalil’s detention follows the Trump administration's executive order earlier this year, which warned of deportation for those taking part in "pro-jihadist protests" on college campuses. Furthermore, while some Jewish students have called out perceived antisemitism during the protests, others have stood in solidarity with pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The controversy has led Columbia to face repercussions, including a loss of $400 million in federal grants over accusations of insufficiently addressing antisemitism, according to recent statements from Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong.

The backdrop to this situation is the Israeli military's ongoing offensive against Hamas, initiated after a significant cross-border attack on October 7, which resulted in tragic casualties on both sides. Reports indicate over 48,000 Palestinian lives lost to Israeli military actions, according to the health ministry in Gaza.