ICE arrests activist who led pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University

An activist who led pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University and Barnard College was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at his campus apartment.

Mahmoud Khalil, who completed his graduate studies at Columbia in December, could potentially have his visa revoked and green card canceled, his attorney Amy Greer said. The New York Post reported that Khalil was taken into custody at his university-owned apartment, which he had continued to occupy under a policy allowing students to remain after graduation.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that he was being arrested because Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” Last week, pro-Palestinian agitators took over the Barnard College’s Milstein Library, and during the demonstration, the NYPD made multiple arrests.

Khalil was active in protests, and social media footage showed him using a bullhorn near the entrance while speaking with school administrators, per the outlet. The protest also featured the distribution of violent propaganda flyers that reportedly came from the “Hamas Media Office.”

In addition to the Barnard College protest, Khalil and his group, Columbia United Apartheid Divest (CUAD), led a campus takeover last September at the beginning of the academic school year. The protest was condemned by many state leaders, including Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul. Critics also called on the university to take disciplinary action against the students involved.

Khalil told reporters at the time, “As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist. Not only protests and encampments, the limit is the sky.”

He was briefly suspended over his involvement in the protests at Columbia.

Following Khalil’s arrest this month, Columbia University issued a statement addressing agents near campus, saying the college would not cooperate with ICE except when required by law. “Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public university areas, including university buildings,” the statement explained. “Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also cited his arrest, and stated, "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported."

The arrest comes as President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on foreign students who participate in protests promoting groups such as Hamas. Last Tuesday, Trump announced that federal funding would be stripped from schools allowing "illegal protests" and warned that "agitators will be imprisoned or permanently sent back to the country from which they came."