On Saturday, March 8, 2025, Mahmoud Khalil, a student at Columbia University, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, while returning to his home. His arrest has caused many across the United States to become upset, leading to many protests across New York and the United States.
According to the AP, “The Department of Homeland Security accused Khalil of leading ‘activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.’”
Khalil was one of the protest leaders during the protests that occurred last year at Columbia University, protesting against American support in funding the war in Gaza. His protest would lead to many other nationwide demonstrations as many more schools and universities would follow suit.
Trump and his administration defend the arrest of Khalil, stating on Truth Social, “Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it.”
Trump continues to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, even threatening to pull federal funding from universities that allow what he calls “illegal protests” to take place, according to Newsweek.
Some people have questioned the morality of Khalil’s arrest since he had a green card and was a legal U.S. resident.
According to a news release, during the arrest, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agents stated that “the U.S. Department of State had revoked Khalil’s student visa, despite the fact that he has a green card, not a visa, and is a lawful permanent resident. An agent showed Khalil what he claimed was a warrant on his phone.”
Even after Khalil’s wife had shown proof of Khalil’s green card in documents, DHS agents stated that the State Department had “revoked that too.”
According to CNN, The Trump Administration based this arrest on the Immigration and Nationality Act which states that “an alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States is deportable.” An alien in this context refers to someone who was not born a citizen of the United States.
Some also question whether the arrest was Constitutional, as it would go against Khalil’s First Amendment Rights and infringe on his Freedom of Speech.
In a statement from Ben Wizner, the Director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, he states, “This arrest is unprecedented, illegal, and un-American. The federal government is claiming the authority to deport people with deep ties to the U.S. and revoke their green cards for advocating positions that the government opposes. To be clear: The First Amendment protects everyone in the U.S. The government’s actions are obviously intended to intimidate and chill speech on one side of a public debate. The government must immediately return Mr. Khalil to New York, release him back to his family, and reverse course on this discriminatory policy.”
Currently, Khalil is being held in Louisiana at a federal immigration detention facility, after a federal judge in Manhatten ordered to hold off on his deportation until the court has had a chance to review his case.
Many New Yorkers have taken to the streets in protest against Khalil’s arrest and continue to hold demonstrations against his arrest, finding it unfair and unjust.
This court case could play a huge role for the Trump Administration as it will set the stage for how Trump can continue with his deportation policies and the protections for green card holders and other immigrants in the United States.
