US immigration arrests Palestinian activist, revokes residency: Lawyer
Mahmoud Khalil, who was one of the leaders of Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian student campus protest movement, was arrested on Saturday night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, his lawyer told the Associated Press.
The agents said they were acting on orders from the State Department to revoke Khalil’s student visa when they detained him in New York City. When Khalil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, told them that he was a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said the card was also being revoked.
Greer said that Khalil’s wife – who is eight months pregnant – was not told why the activist was being detained. He has been transferred to an ICE facility in New Jersey.
“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.”
The Trump administration has threatened to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests in the US, warning that students’ visas would be revoked if the students were deemed to be supporting Hamas. The State Department said on Thursday that it had revoked the visa of one student protester the previous day for “criminal behavior”.
The US government has also announced that it would cut $400m in grants and contracts to Columbia University, accusing the elite educational institute of failing to crack down on anti-Semitism. Pro-Israel voices have consistently attempted to portray pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Jewish, despite the large presence of Jewish students among the protesters.
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Mahmoud Khalil, who was one of the leaders of Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian student campus protest movement, was arrested on Saturday night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, his lawyer told the Associated Press.
The agents said they were acting on orders from the State Department to revoke Khalil’s student visa when they detained him in New York City. When Khalil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, told them that he was a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said the card was also being revoked.
Greer said that Khalil’s wife – who is eight months pregnant – was not told why the activist was being detained. He has been transferred to an ICE facility in New Jersey.
“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.”
The Trump administration has threatened to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests in the US, warning that students’ visas would be revoked if the students were deemed to be supporting Hamas. The State Department said on Thursday that it had revoked the visa of one student protester the previous day for “criminal behavior”.
The US government has also announced that it would cut $400m in grants and contracts to Columbia University, accusing the elite educational institute of failing to crack down on anti-Semitism. Pro-Israel voices have consistently attempted to portray pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Jewish, despite the large presence of Jewish students among the protesters.
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Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, has stated that Israel cannot claim the right of self-defense under international law. This assertion is based on the premise that Israel is the occupying power in Gaza, which has significant implications for its legal standing regarding self-defense claims.
Legal Context
The legal framework surrounding self-defense does not support Israel's claims when the threat originates from a territory it occupies. Self-defense cannot be invoked against a threat that emanates from an occupied territory. This perspective aligns with broader interpretations of international law, which stipulate that occupying powers have specific responsibilities towards the populations in the territories they control.
Implications of the Statement
Albanese's comments highlight a critical aspect of international law concerning occupation and self-defense. The assertion that Israel cannot claim self-defense. The implications of this stance are significant, as they challenge the legitimacy of military actions taken by Israel occupation forces in response against Palestinian territories.
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Legal Context
The legal framework surrounding self-defense does not support Israel's claims when the threat originates from a territory it occupies. Self-defense cannot be invoked against a threat that emanates from an occupied territory. This perspective aligns with broader interpretations of international law, which stipulate that occupying powers have specific responsibilities towards the populations in the territories they control.
Implications of the Statement
Albanese's comments highlight a critical aspect of international law concerning occupation and self-defense. The assertion that Israel cannot claim self-defense. The implications of this stance are significant, as they challenge the legitimacy of military actions taken by Israel occupation forces in response against Palestinian territories.
#GhostPrincess
Having recovered the bodies of 11 relatives killed in Israeli attacks, Sohail Al Majdalavi, centre, hopes to find the remains of six other family members who are still missing under the rubble of his destroyed home, in Jabalia, Gaza, on March 9, 2025. Israeli occupation forces attacks killed 17 members of the Al Majdalavi family [Abdul Hakim Abu Riash/Anadolu]
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A person holds a sign during a protest following the arrest of student protester Mahmoud Khalil on Monday [Shannon Stapleton/Reuters]
Columbia professor says Khalil arrest a ‘dismal moment in American history’
We have been reporting on the arrest and attempted deportation of Mahmoud Khalil – a US permanent resident – over his participation in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza at Columbia University in New York.
Columbia University mathematics professor Michael Thaddeus condemned Khalil’s arrest on Monday, saying it has “dealt a severe blow to that trust placed in us by the world”.
“My activist colleagues behind me on the faculty have for many years circulated petitions and signed open letters in support of political prisoners held by authoritarian regimes in places like Russia, China and Iran,” he said.
“Now we’re facing a horrifying reality that our own student, a member of the Columbia community, has become a political prisoner here in the United States. This is a dismal moment in American history,” he added.
Rights groups have condemned Khalil’s arrest and attempted deportation as unconstitutional.
Earlier, we reported that New York District Court Judge Jesse Furman ordered that immigration authorities could not deport Khalil “unless and until the Court orders otherwise”.
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We have been reporting on the arrest and attempted deportation of Mahmoud Khalil – a US permanent resident – over his participation in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza at Columbia University in New York.
Columbia University mathematics professor Michael Thaddeus condemned Khalil’s arrest on Monday, saying it has “dealt a severe blow to that trust placed in us by the world”.
“My activist colleagues behind me on the faculty have for many years circulated petitions and signed open letters in support of political prisoners held by authoritarian regimes in places like Russia, China and Iran,” he said.
“Now we’re facing a horrifying reality that our own student, a member of the Columbia community, has become a political prisoner here in the United States. This is a dismal moment in American history,” he added.
Rights groups have condemned Khalil’s arrest and attempted deportation as unconstitutional.
Earlier, we reported that New York District Court Judge Jesse Furman ordered that immigration authorities could not deport Khalil “unless and until the Court orders otherwise”.
#GhostPrincess
Inas Al-Ghoul, a Palestinian engineer, checks a solar water desalination system she built in response to a water crisis
Inas Al-Ghoul, a Palestinian engineer, checks a solar water desalination system she built in response to a water crisis in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip [File: Hatem Khaled/Reuters]
Inas Al-Ghoul, a Palestinian engineer, checks a solar water desalination system she built in response to a water crisis in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip [File: Hatem Khaled/Reuters]