Who is Mahmoud Khalil? Judge blocks deportation of Palestinian Columbia U. graduate arrested by ICE
Judge blocks deportation of Palestinian activist
A judge has blocked the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful U.S. resident and pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in response to President Donald Trump's executive orders prohibiting antisemitism. FOX 5's Linda Schmidt has the story.
NEW YORK CITY - A judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University for his role in pro-Palestinian protests at the school.
Khalil was taken into custody by ICE agents on Saturday, and his lawyer says he does not know where he is currently being detained.
Protesters gathered at Federal Plaza to oppose Khalil's detention.
The judge's decision prevents the Trump administration from deporting Khalil until after his case is heard in a courtroom on Wednesday.
Mahmoud Khalil arrested
What we know:
Federal immigration authorities arrested Khalil on Saturday night at his university-owned apartment. Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident with a green card, is a Palestinian activist who played a major role in anti-Israel protests that swept Columbia University's campus last spring.
Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press he was being detained at an immigration detention facility in Louisiana. ICE agents also threatened to arrest Khalil’s wife, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, Greer said. Khalil's whereabouts are currently unclear.
While speaking over the phone with one of the ICE agents during the arrest, Greer was told the agency was acting on State Department orders to revoke Khalil's student visa and green card. In a message shared on X Sunday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration "will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported."
The Department of Homeland Security added that Khalil forfeited his rights to remain in the US, alleging he "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization."
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed Khalil’s arrest in a statement Sunday, describing it as being "in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism."
Who is Mahmoud Khalil?
The backstory:
Khalil, born in Syria in 1995, is a permanent US resident with a green card, according to the New York Post.
He received his undergraduate degree in Beirut then went on to get his graduate degree at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs in December.
Last spring, he served as a negotiator for students as they bargained with university officials over an end to the tent encampment erected on campus last spring.
Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil (C) talks to the press during the press briefing organized by pro-Palestinian protesters who set up a new encampment at Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus on Friday evening, in New York City, U
The role made him one of the most visible activists in support of the movement, prompting calls from pro-Israel activists in recent weeks for the Trump administration to begin deportation proceedings against him.
Khalil was also among those under investigation by a new Columbia University office that has brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students for their pro-Palestinian activism, according to records shared with the AP.
The university’s allegations against Khalil focused on his involvement in the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group. He faced sanctions for potentially helping to organize an "unauthorized marching event" in which participants glorified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and playing a "substantial role" in the circulation of social media posts criticizing Zionism, among other acts of alleged discrimination.
Big picture view:
The arrest is the first publicly known deportation effort under President Donald Trump's new plan to remove alleged Hamas sympathizers from college campuses. The president also canceled $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University "due to the school's continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students."
A new executive order signed by President Trump calls for the deportation of resident aliens, including students with visas, who broke laws during anti-Israel protests following the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.
What they're saying:
In a statement shared with FOX 5 NY, Columbia University said: "Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community. We are also committed to the legal rights of our students and urge all members of the community to be respectful of those rights."
Khalil's attorney shared a statement, saying: "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."
What's next:
Meanwhile, @peoplesforumnyc, an Instagram account with over 108,000 followers, said in a post: "Join us in the streets to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student activist and recent Columbia graduate, who was abducted from his home by DHS agents last night and is now in ICE detention." The protest is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building.
In addition, at 5 p.m., Columbia and Barnard faculty, as well as other leaders, will hold a press conference condemning the ICE detention.