ICE agents have recently arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, who completed his graduate studies at Columbia University in December. On Saturday night when ICE agents arrested him, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest leader was inside his university-owned apartment, a few blocks away from the college. Khalil was arrested for leading disruptive protests on the campus last year.
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented sharing an article about Khalil’s arrest triggering questions about whether people with green cards and visas will also be deported by the Donald Trump administration.
Attorney Amy Greer said Khalil was told that he was being arrested after his student visa had been revoked but she pointed out that Khalil is a permanent resident of the US. Greer told the arresting officers about Khalil’s legal status but Khalil was detained anyway.
What did the university say?
Columbia put out a statement stressing that it won’t cooperate with ICE’s actions except where 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 read in part. “Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community.”
A petition demanding Khalil’s immediate release posted on Action Network garnered more than 349,000 signatures by Sunday evening.
An ICE agent reportedly told Khalil’s lawyer Greer that the agency was enforcing a State Department edict to revoke Khalil’s student visa as well as his green card, pursuant to Trump’s recent pledge to deport foreign student “agitators” responsible for fomenting campus unrest.
Who is Mahmoud Khalil?
A Palestinian-American, Mahmoud Khalil was reportedly raised in a refugee camp in Syria. Before studying in Columbia, he worked for the British Embassy in Beirut. His lawyer said he is a Green Card holder and did not come to the US on a student visa. According to reports, Khalil is married, and his US-citizen wife is eight months pregnant. The couple lived in the university-owned apartment, which was raided by ICE.
