Protest Leader at Columbia Now Faces Deportation

A former Columbia University grad student and Palestinian activist who helped organize anti-Israel protests at the school was arrested in his university-owned apartment over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, reports the AP, which calls the move "a significant escalation in the Trump administration's pledge to detain and deport student activists." Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil—who recently earned a master's degree from the school's international affairs school—"in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting antisemitism." More:

• Legal team: Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, tells the New York Times that when Khalil's wife, a US citizen who's 8 months pregnant, headed to a New Jersey detention center where she believed he'd been taken, she was told he wasn't there. Newsweek cites ICE records showing he may have been taken to a detention center 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 in a statement.

• Immigration status: In a statement cited by the Washington Post, Greer notes that when Khalil was told by ICE agents that his student visa had been revoked, he informed them he was a legal permanent resident who held a green card. Khalil was detained anyway, says Greer.
• Rubio: On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted on X that "we will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported." Khalil is said to have served in the past as a spokesperson for the school's Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition, which the Post notes has "praised the leadership of Hamas" at times. DHS rep McLaughlin also claimed, per the AP, that Khalil had "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization."
• Columbia: In a statement, the university noted that "law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter nonpublic university areas, including university buildings. Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community."
• Support: Some are praising Khalil's detention. "He is now thankfully facing deportation. May this be the first of many!" wrote the Stop Antisemitism advocacy group on X. The Anti-Defamation League wrote: "We appreciate the Trump administration's broad, bold set of efforts to counter campus antisemitism—and this action further illustrates that resolve by holding alleged perpetrators responsible for their actions." The ADL added, however, that "obviously, any deportation action or revocation of a green card or visa must be undertaken in alignment with required due process protections."
• Pushback: "The White House's authoritarian actions are being falsely done in our name as Jews, by a president and politicians who actively use antisemitism and do not speak for Jews," the progressive Bend the Arc: Jewish Action group wrote on X. A petition with nearly 1 million signatures as of Monday morning has also been circulating, demanding Khalil's release. Demonstrators are expected to descend upon New York City's Federal Plaza on Monday to protest Khalil's plight, reports NBC News. "Hands off our students! ICE off our campuses!" read a Sunday post on X from the People's Forum, the group said to be organizing the rally.

(More pro-Palestinian protesters stories.)