Arutz Sheva reported that Federal immigration authorities have arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Palestinian Arab graduate student who played a key role in last year’s anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.
By Rachel Avraham
Arutz Sheva reported that Federal immigration authorities have arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Palestinian Arab graduate student who played a key role in last year’s anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. During these protests, Khalil told a reporter: “As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist. Not only protests and encampments; the limit is the sky.”
According to the report, the arrest, which took place at Khalil’s university-owned residence near Columbia’s Manhattan campus, comes as part of a broader effort by the US administration to revoke legal status from foreign nationals who engaged in campus demonstrations against Israel. At the same time, CNN reported that the Trump administration is pulling $400 million from Columbia University, canceling grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.
The Trump administration made this bold move due to the rampant anti-Semitism that takes place on campus. Not too long ago, an Israeli history class taught by an Iraqi Jewish professor was interrupted by anti-Israel protesters. Afterwards, Bernard College expelled two of the protesters from campus, which led to massive anti-Israel protests on campus. A recent talk by Naftali Bennett at Columbia University also faced massive anti-Israel protests. Meanwhile, while Jewish events are not permitted to proceed in peace, the Jerusalem post reported that Professor Joseph Mossad of Columbia University called the October 7 massacre “astounding,” “awesome,” and “incredible” and will be teaching a spring semester course on Zionism at Columbia University, thus further arousing anti-Israel sentiment on campus.
For this reason, the Trump administration is now targeting Columbia University. MSN reported that Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student who got his undergraduate degree in Beirut and completed his studies at Ivy League Columbia in December, aside from getting arrested also reportedly faces having his visa revoked and his green card canceled following President Trump’s crackdown on unrest at colleges. As the US State Department told Fox News, “We revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions. This individual was a university student. ICE will proceed with removing this person from the country.”
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump is quoted as saying in a fact sheet issued by the White House. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
“Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. “The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists. Violators of U.S. law — including international students — face visa denial or revocation, and deportation.”
According to the report, while a student, Khalil headed up student-run group Apartheid Divest, and was a lead negotiator during last spring’s protracted student protest on campus, in which dozens of tents jammed the lawn of the Morningside Heights campus. MSN added that he was also a political affairs officer with UNRWA from June through November 2023, according to his LinkedIn.
MSN stressed that despite graduating months ago, Khalil has remained active in recent disruptive actions, including last week’s takeover of the Milstein Library at Barnard College. According to the report, videos and photographs posted on X depict him holding a bullhorn near the library entrance and engaged in discussion with school administrators.
