A federal judge in New York on Monday temporarily blocked the deportation of activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, following his arrest by US immigration authorities.
Khalil, who was taken into custody on Saturday night, will remain in detention until a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, according to court documents cited by CNN.
Khalil, a prominent figure in Columbia’s student-led protests against Israel, was arrested by federal agents acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card, his attorney confirmed.
The arrest is part of President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrations on American college campuses. Trump has openly declared his intention to deport foreign students involved in what he called “illegal protests” and to imprison “agitators.”
Khalil had been under investigation by Columbia University’s disciplinary committee for his role in campus protests. He is currently being held at the Jena/LaSalle Detention Facility in Louisiana after being transferred from New Jersey, according to advocacy groups.
His attorney, Amy Greer, condemned the arrest, saying, “ICE’s arrest and detention of Mahmoud follows the US government’s open repression of student activism and political speech, specifically targeting students at Columbia University for criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza.”
Trump defended his administration’s actions, reaffirming in a social media post that his government is working to deport “terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again.”
Khalil’s arrest came two days after the Trump administration officially announced that it would revoke $400 million in federal grants due to Columbia’s handling of antisemitism.
The funding cuts followed a recent "comprehensive review" of Columbia’s federal grants, conducted by the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Justice (DOJ), Education (DoE), and the US General Services Administration (GSA). The agencies cited an ongoing investigation by the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which is looking into whether Columbia violated the Civil Rights Act by failing to address the harassment of Jewish students.
"For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated. "Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer."
Columbia has come under increased scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on campus since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators at Columbia set up dozens of tents in April of last year, demanding that the university divest from its Israeli assets. The university administration called in police to dismantle the encampments.
On April 30, at the request of university leaders, hundreds of officers with the New York Police Department stormed onto campus, gaining access to the building through a second-story window and making dozens of arrests of the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who had taken over Hamilton Hall.
In August, three Columbia University deans resigned from the school, after it was discovered that they had exchanged “very troubling” texts that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”.
The university has seen a resurgence of anti-Israel activity in recent weeks. In January, anti-Israel students disrupted an Israeli history class by banging drums, chanting “Free Palestine,” and distributing fliers that depicted a boot stomping on a Star of David.
The students were later expelled, prompting protests at Barnard College. The demonstrations escalated when protesters took over the Barnard College library, leading to multiple arrests.