Palestinian Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil has accused the institution of "laying the groundwork for my abduction" and called on students to continue protests in support of Palestine.
Khalil, a prominent activist who led campus demonstrations, issued a letter from a detention centre in Louisiana, where he has been held since 8 March under the Trump administration’s directive.
Despite holding a US green card, Khalil was detained and placed in deportation proceedings under a federal immigration law provision that allows the State Department to expel non-citizens deemed a threat to US foreign policy.
US authorities have accused Khalil of aligning with Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States. However, Khalil has not been charged with any crimes.
In an op-ed published in The Columbia Spectator on Friday and dictated through his attorney, Khalil alleged that Columbia University was complicit in the broader campaign to suppress pro-Palestinian voices, particularly since Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
"The logic used by the federal government to target myself and my peers is a direct extension of Columbia’s repression playbook concerning Palestine," Khalil wrote.
"Columbia has not only refused to acknowledge the lives of Palestinians sacrificed for Zionist settler colonialism, but it has actively reproduced the language used to justify this killing. Columbia has suppressed student dissent under the auspices of combating antisemitism."
He accused university leadership of yielding to political pressure and using the label of "combating antisemitism" to silence criticism of Israel.
Khalil also condemned Columbia’s cooperation with members of Congress to form a task force that equates anti-Israel sentiment with hate speech.
Following the resignation of Columbia’s president Katrina Armstrong, the university has faced mounting pressure from both the Trump administration and pro-Israel groups to crack down on student activism. That pressure has included threats to withdraw federal funding unless Columbia enacted strict new measures, such as banning face masks and expanding security forces’ authority.
Khalil warned that international students critical of Israel are facing escalating intimidation, pointing to recent arrests and at least one forced deportation. He cited the case of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, who is also facing deportation due to her Palestine activism. Although protected by a court order for now, Öztürk has been accused by the Department of Homeland Security of supporting Hamas.
In recent months, the DHS has revoked hundreds of student visas. High-profile officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have publicly threatened to strip the visas of those he described as “lunatics” for showing support for Palestine.
"This movement has always been grassroots," Khalil said. "It was led by students - many younger than me - who risked their careers, their degrees, and their futures to demand divestment. Anyone who has truly engaged with the movement knows that claims that its goals and purpose are rooted in antisemitism are mere fabrication."
The New Arab has contacted Columbia University for comment.
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