Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces of the university's protest movement that erupted in response to Israel's conduct of the war, was arrested on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X.
The Student Workers of Columbia Union said in a statement that Khalil had been detained on Saturday, describing him as “a Palestinian recent Columbia graduate and lead negotiator for last spring’s Gaza solidarity encampment.”
Protests, some of which turned violent and saw campus buildings occupied and lectures disrupted, pitted students protesting Israel's conduct against pro-Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish.
Khalil, who remains in immigration enforcement detention, held permanent residency at the time of his arrest prompting thousands of people to sign a petition calling for his release, the union statement added.
Columbia did not directly address Khalil’s arrest in response to inquiries, but in a statement said “there have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus.”
In its post on X, the DHS said Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,“ without further details.
He also threatened to cut off federal funding for institutions that he said were not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism.
His administration announced Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.
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