His detention is part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-terror foreign nationals involved in demonstrations on college campuses.
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A federal judge has blocked the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia university graduate student who was arrested on Sunday night. He will appear in court on Wednesday morning, according to CNN.
Demonstrators gathered at Federal Plaza in New York City on Monday prior to the news of his deportation being paused, demanding the release of Khalil, who is an anti-Israel activist and was a Columbia University graduate student until December. He was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend, according to NBC, due to his participation in occupations and mass protests at Columbia University.
His detention is part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-terror foreign nationals involved in demonstrations as well as anti-semitism on college campuses.
Khalil was taken from his university-owned apartment on Saturday night by ICE agents, who informed him that his student visa was being revoked, according to his attorney, Amy Greer. She stated that ICE was told Khalil is a permanent resident with a green card. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that in addition to the revocation of student visas, those with green cards who participate in anti-semitic actions could also be detained.
The rally in support of Khalil, organized by The People’s Forum, comes after Trump signaled that Khalil’s arrest was just the beginning, reports the Associated Press. “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again,” Trump said on Truth Social. “If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply.”
“We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Many are not students, they are paid agitators. We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again.”
Greer’s office has filed a petition challenging Khalil’s detention. It was initially believed he was taken to a facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but when his wife—who is a U.S. citizen and eight months pregnant—tried to visit, she was told he was not there. The Department of Homeland Security’s website now lists Khalil as being detained at an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana.
“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 at the time.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, called the arrest a “blatantly unconstitutional act.”
“America is supposed to be a country of laws, but this act by the DHS challenges that very concept,” Awawdeh said in a statement. “DHS must immediately release Khalil, and our local elected officials must intervene in this unlawful and politically motivated detention of a New Yorker.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union has condemned the arrest, calling it an “extreme attack on his First Amendment rights.”
“Ripping a student from their home, challenging their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint will chill student speech and advocacy across campus,” the organization stated. “Political speech should never be a basis for punishment, or lead to deportation.”
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Khalil was arrested in coordination with ICE and the State Department “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism” and because he “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Sunday that the administration would be revoking visas and green cards “of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
