Mahmoud Khalil's deportation is the beginning of a larger crackdown on marginalized communities
Khalil was detained by ICE on March 8 with no warrant and not allowed contact with his attorneys, per his wife.
On Saturday, March 8, Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents detained former Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a US green card holder, without a warrant or reason for arrest in front of his 8-month pregnant wife at their university-based apartment in New York.
Khalil—who led the pro-Palestinian Columbia University protests and served as the lead negotiator between the student and faculty—was swiftly brought to an ICE detention facility more than 1,000 miles away in Louisiana with an intention to deport him. It came just days before Khalil had reportedly emailed Columbia University President asking for protection from ICE, saying
"I haven’t been able to sleep, fearing that ICE or a dangerous individual might come to my home. I urge you to intervene and provide the necessary protections to prevent further harm,” per
.Khalil’s arrest has sparked national and global outrage with protesters demanding his release, including at Columbia University where students held a sit-in.
Columbia Students Stage Sit-In to Support Arrested Activist Mahmoud Khalil. Credit: BreakThrough News/@BTNewsroom via Storyful
“Rescinding visas, canceling green card and intimidating students and staff have become the tool of choice for stifling free speech and undermining the First Amendment. Columbia University includes Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and atheists, and none of us will be safe unless we’re all safe,”
Yinhon Cohen told Democracy Now.
However, on Monday, a New York judge blocked the deportation of Khalil, questioning its legality as the United States looks to pursue the case in Louisiana, where legal experts tell Democracy Now he is more likely to appear before Trump-friendly judges if his case moves forward.
Despite this, there are fears among immigrant rights activists and Muslims that this is just the beginning as the Trump administration doubles down on its crackdown of student protesters
“This is the first arrest of many to come.” - President Trump wrote on X.
Since his arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Department of Homeland Security have not cited a specific crime committed by Khalil. Instead, they are relying on an Immigration and Nationality Act provision, which allows the U.S. to deport an “alien” if they are deemed to have a “serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
Although, the INA does prevent the deportation of a resident because of “past, current, or expected beliefs, statements, or associations, if such beliefs, statements, or associations would be lawful within the United States,” it allows the secretary of state to “personally determine that the alien's admission would compromise a compelling United States foreign policy interest.”
A White House official confirmed this tactic telling the Free Press that “the allegation here is not that [Khalil] was breaking the law,” but rather that he is a “threat to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.”
This comes as the Trump administration revoked $400 million in grants to Columbia University and instructed the Department of Education to investigate 60 colleges over anti-semitism claims, which could tighten up free speech for students and increase tension with faculty.
“If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East,” Stuart Karle, a First Amendment lawyer and adjunct professor told a gathering of Columbia University students in Pulitzer Hall. “Nobody can protect you,” Jelani Cobb, the school’s journalism dean added. “These are dangerous times.”
For Kahlil, these dangers are rising as the federal court decides the legality of ICE’s actions, which legal experts say could make it up to the Supreme Court. As protests continue to happen, his wife has spoken out about his arrest, pleading with the government and the people to help her husband as she is less than a month away from delivering their child.
“I am pleading with the world to continue to speak up against his unjust and horrific detention by the Trump administration,” Khalil’s wife, who is a US citizen, said in her statement, remaining anonymous for fear of harassment.
“I was born and raised in the midwest. My parents came here from Syria, carrying their stories of the oppressive regime there that made life unlivable. They believed living in the US would bring a sense of safety and stability. But here I am, 40 years after my parents immigrated here, and just weeks before I’m due to give birth to our first child, and I feel more unsafe and unstable than I have in my entire life. US immigration ripped my soul from me when they handcuffed my husband and forced him into an unmarked vehicle.”
This article was written on Thursday, March 13, 2025, and does not reflect any updates after.
So protesting this administrations interest in Gaza and building their Trump Towers is considered antisemitism? Oh wow, who would have known the definitions changed of what antisemitism actually means.