“ICE agents wrongfully arrested Mahmoud Khalil, claiming his student visa was revoked — even though Mahmoud is a legal permanent resident and not in the U.S. on a student visa.”
A recent Columbia University graduate who played a prominent role in campus protests against the Gaza war, has been arrested by agents of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for allegedly having “led activities aligned to Hamas.”
“On March 9, 2025, in support of President (Donald) Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the Anadolu news agency in an emailed statement on Sunday.
“Khalil led activities aligned to (the Palestinian group) Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” the statement added.
🚨SEND THE LETTER L!NKED BELOW🚨 A Palestinian student activist at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, has been abducted and detained by the Department of Homeland Security for over 12 hours after months of targeted harassment by the university. Demand his immediate release… pic.twitter.com/f5Xl4W8Opr
— National Students for Justice in Palestine (@NationalSJP) March 10, 2025
Precise Whereabouts Unknown
Khalil’s attorney, Amy Greer, said they do not know his precise whereabouts and filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the validity of his arrest and detention.
Greer said in a statement cited by Anadolu that on Saturday night, “ICE agents wrongfully arrested Mahmoud Khalil, claiming his student visa was revoked — even though Mahmoud is a legal permanent resident (green card) and not in the U.S. on a student visa.”
UPDATE — new response from DHS:
DHS claims that “Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas.”Says ICE arrested Mahmoud Khalil in coordination with the State Department and in support of Trump’s executive orders. https://t.co/3rVzEaNTSG pic.twitter.com/q7V5uGZbeV
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) March 10, 2025
According to a statement posted by Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG), Khalil and his wife, a US citizen who is eight months pregnant, had “just unlocked the entrance to their building when two plainclothes DHS agents forced their way in behind them.”
The agents “initially refused to identify themselves, instead asking Khalil to confirm his identity before detaining him without explanation.”
UPDATE—Mahmoud’s attorney says they do NOT know where he is. They were first told he was sent to an ICE facility in Elizabeth, NJ. But when his 8-month-pregnant wife tried to visit him, she was told he’s not there. They’ve received reports he may be sent as far away as Louisiana. https://t.co/3rVzEaNTSG pic.twitter.com/WJ32ygUKY9
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) March 9, 2025
They then proceeded “to threaten his wife, telling her that if she remained by his side, they would arrest her too.”
The agents claimed that the US State Department “had revoked Khalil’s student visa, despite the fact that he has a green card, not a visa, and is a lawful permanent resident,” the statement said. One of the agents showed Khalil what he claimed was a warrant on his phone.
‘He has a Green Card’
When Khalil’s wife presented the agents with his green card, “one agent was visibly confused” and said on the phone, “He has a green card.”
However, after a moment, “the DHS agents stated that the State Department had ‘revoked that too.’”
Khalil’s wife then phoned his attorney, who spoke with the agents in an attempt to intervene.
This extreme escalation is an egregious violation of first amendment rights. Now is the moment for everyone to speak out and oppose this as fiercely and loudly as possible. pic.twitter.com/NF2GCpBbgj
— Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (@JFREJNYC) March 9, 2025
Khalil “has been specifically and discriminatorily targeted by Columbia University for his Palestinian identity and outspoken activism on multiple occasions over the last 17 months,” it noted.
‘Repression of Student Activism’
Khalil served as a lead negotiator during the Gaza Solidarity Encampment last spring and has frequently appeared in media interviews and press conferences, the statement said.
According to the student’s attorney, reports have been received that he “may be transferred as far away as Louisiana.”
Greer said ICE’s arrest and detention of Khalil “follows the U.S. government’s open repression of student activism and political speech, specifically targeting students at Columbia University for criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza.”
ACTION ALERT: Sign and share the petition!! Mahmoud is a Palestinian student at Columbia University illegally detained by ICE under order from the White House. His wife is 8 months pregnant and Mahmoud’s location is unknown. #FreeMahmoudKhalil https://t.co/p3uAAVf2As
— Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC) (@Columbia_psc) March 10, 2025
“The U.S. government has made clear that they will use immigration enforcement as a tool to suppress that speech,” she added.
Asked about Khalil’s case, a State Department spokesperson declined to comment on “individual visa cases,” saying that visa records are confidential under US law, Anadolu reported.
“In general, the Department has broad authority to revoke visas under Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). We exercise that authority when information comes to light at any time indicating that a visa holder may be inadmissible to the United States or otherwise ineligible for a visa,” the spokesperson told Anadolu.
Columbia Statement on ICE Presence
On Sunday, Columbia University acknowledged the reports of ICE around the campus, saying that “law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings.”
“Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community,” the university said in a statement, adding it was also committed “to the legal rights of our students.”
March 9, 2025 Further Statement on ICE Reports: https://t.co/tTWK7tvQp6 pic.twitter.com/713nQ8IBtS
— Columbia University (@Columbia) March 9, 2025
The Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC) called Khalil’s detention “unlawful and unjust” and vowed to “not let Columbia get away with this.”
An online petition has been launched for his immediate release.
“Columbia’s continued acquiescence to federal agencies and outside partisan institutions has made this situation possible,” the petition noted.
“Like many other Arab and Muslim students, Khalil has been the target of various zionist harassment campaigns, fueled by doxxing websites like Canary Mission. This racist targeting serves to instill fear in pro-Palestine activists as well as a warning to others,” it added.
AI-Powered ‘Catch and Revoke’
Columbia was a focal point of last year’s campus encampments, leading to arrests and disciplinary actions against students. These actions have sparked concerns about free speech on American campuses.
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it had canceled approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, citing the school’s alleged failure to address anti-Semitism amid pro-Palestine protests at its campuses, Anadolu reported.
US Launches AI-Powered Initiative to Target Pro-Palestine Support among Visa Holders
Khalil’s arrest follows the news reported by Axios last week that the US State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was launching a new AI-powered initiative called “Catch and Revoke” in an effort to revoke visas of foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas.
The AI tools would review “tens of thousands of student visa holders’ social media accounts,” in what Axios described as “a dramatic escalation in the U.S. government’s policing of foreign nationals’ conduct and speech.”
According to Axios, “officials plan to examine internal databases to see whether any visa holders were arrested but allowed to stay in the country during the Biden administration.”
(PC, Anadolu)
