Palestinian Activist 'Arrested by ICE After Helping Lead Columbia University Protests'

BREAKING: DHS Detains Lead Negotiator of Columbia Gaza Solidarity Encampment After Online Campaign by Pro-Israel Groups

Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained on Saturday, is being held at an ICE detention facility.https://t.co/kGd4sZNcbA

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) March 9, 2025

Looks like the order to detain the Columbia student, who is not here on a visa but is a permanent resident, came from the White House https://t.co/LxklfwDosQ

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) March 9, 2025

On Saturday night, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents entered a student residential building at Columbia University in uptown New York and detained Mahmoud Khalil, one of the lead negotiators on behalf of pro-Palestine protesters at 2024’s Gaza solidarity encampment. In a sweeping attack on the First Amendment, the Trump administration said this week it would begin revoking visas of “Hamas sympathizers,” specifically citing Columbia University students. The detention followed a two-day targeted online campaign against Khalil by pro-Israel groups and individuals, including Columbia’s high-profile pro-Israel professor, Shai Davidai.

Khalil, an Algerian citizen of Palestinian origin and an American green-card holder, was detained by DHS officials around half past eight as he was entering the Columbia residential building he lives in. He was returning from an iftar, breaking the day-long fast observed by many Muslims during the month of Ramadan.

Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, was with him at the time. A statement by the pro-Palestine group Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG) stated that he was “abducted and detained without the physical demonstration of a warrant or officially filed charges.” At the time of writing, Khalil is still being detained at a DHS facility in New Jersey, according to a database for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to WAWOG, the DHS agents told Khalil that the U.S. Department of State had revoked his student visa. The group said this was “despite the fact that he has a green card, not a visa, and is a lawful permanent resident.”

In response to a request for comment from Drop Site, the DHS stated, “You need to reach out to the White House.”

The arrest comes as President Donald Trump vows to deport foreign students and imprison “agitators” involved in protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. The administration has placed particular scrutiny on Columbia, announcing Friday that it would be cutting $400 million in grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.

The authorities declined to tell Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, why he was being detained, Greer said. Khalil has since been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

“We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Greer told The AP. “This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.”

🚨SUSPECTED FOREIGN NATIONAL ALERT🚨
Mahmoud Khalil, allegedly from Syria, is a grad student at Columbia. Khalil appeared to be the lead negotiator for the Barnard College library occupation yesterday. He took the same role at the Columbia encampment & was suspended. pic.twitter.com/sMQ5aw7kZd

— Canary Mission (@canarymission) March 6, 2025

This bastard was detained today. Many more of the jihadis we’ve documented for @ICEgov will be deported. The true challenge is many of them are Americans, but this is a start. https://t.co/3Gsc38a4od pic.twitter.com/8KhDydnErE

— Betar Worldwide (@Betar_USA) March 9, 2025

We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported https://t.co/oKba2Mmi3C

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 9, 2025