Key points
- Agents arrested Khalil at his Columbia housing
- Trump says to target foreign students in Palestinian protest movement
- Protesters demand Khalil’s release
WASHINGTON: A US judge has said that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil could not be deported from US as protesters call for his release.
CNBC reported that a federal judge blocked the Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate’s removal from the United States.
Judge Jesse M Furman said Khalil is to remain in the US “to preserve the court’s jurisdiction” as the court weighs a filing challenging his arrest and planned deportation. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday at the federal court in New York City.
What happened?
Khalil attended Columbia University and helped organise protests last spring about the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He was arrested by federal immigration agents Saturday over what officials claimed was his support for Hamas, according to US media reports.
The Palestinian activist was hauled away from his university-owned apartment Saturday night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after he was told his student visa was being revoked, his attorney said in a statement.
Attorney Amy Greer said that ICE was informed that Khalil is a permanent resident with a green card but “detained him anyway.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Khalil was arrested in coordination with ICE and the State Department, CNBC reported.
Trump and Rubio’s remarks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post Sunday on social media that the administration would be revoking the visas and green cards “of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
“We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it,” he said 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.”
Trump and his administration did not provide evidence of those allegations against Khalil or any other protesters, the CNBC reported.
“Release Mahmoud Khalil”
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in New York City on Monday to demand his release after US President Donald Trump said Khalil’s was the “first arrest of many to come.”
The People’s Forum organized the rally at Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Monday afternoon and has demanded that Khalil be released immediately
“Hands off our students! ICE off our campuses!” the group posted on X.
Monday afternoon protesters filled the commons and quickly amassed into the hundreds, some carrying “Release Mahmoud Khalil” signs as an American Civil Liberties Union protest monitor watched.
Protesters joined in unison to chant “free, free Palestine,” “ICE off our campus now,” “Release Mahmoud Khalil now,” and, “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free”, CNBC reported.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the arrest was a “blatantly unconstitutional act.”
Attack on First Amendment rights
“The New York ACLU said Khalil’s detainment was 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,” a statement read. “Political speech should never be a basis for punishment, or lead to deportation.”
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the decision to arrest him was “lawless.”
Columbia’s Office of Institutional Equity did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Columbia said Sunday in a statement that law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter nonpublic university areas, including campus buildings.
Over 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s military action, according to Gaza health ministry.
