His attorney said she was informed by an ICE agent that they will revoke the student’s green card to enforce the State Department’s order.
U.S. immigration agents arrested a Palestinian student and permanent resident who led the pro-Palestinian encampment protest at Columbia University last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.
Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University until this past December, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 9, DHS said in a statement on social media platform X.
DHS stated that his arrest follows President Donald Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism in colleges and universities, alleging that Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas,” a U.S.-designated terrorist group that launched a large-scale attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and triggered Israeli forces to launch offensive operations in Gaza.
Khalil, who graduated with a master’s degree from Columbia’s School of International Affairs, served as a lead negotiator for students during talks with university administrators to end the tent encampment at Columbia University last spring, according to Student Workers of Columbia (SWC).
His attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press that Khalil was arrested by ICE agents at his university residence.
Greer said an ICE agent informed her that they would revoke his student visa as part of an enforcement of the State Department’s order. When she pointed out that Khalil is a green card holder with permanent resident status, the agent said they would revoke his green card instead.
“We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Greer said. “This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.”
Greer said that ICE agents also threatened to arrest Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant and is an American citizen.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a news report of Khalil’s arrest on social media platform X, with a caption saying the department “will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” without elaborating further.
We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported https://t.co/oKba2Mmi3C
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 9, 2025
Khalil’s arrest came just two days after the Trump administration canceled $400 million in grants and contracts for Columbia University over allegations of anti-Semitism on campus.
