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ICE Nabs Pro-Hamas Activist Behind Columbia U’s Anti-Israel Protests; Lawyer Says Visa & Green Card Revoked
By: Fern Sidman
In a striking escalation of tensions over anti-Israel demonstrations on American university campuses, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested a prominent Palestinian activist who led several high-profile and disruptive protests at Columbia University and Barnard College. According to detailed report that appeared on Sunday in The New York Post, Mahmoud Khalil was taken into custody at his university-owned apartment just blocks from Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus.
Khalil, who recently completed a graduate degree at Columbia after earning his undergraduate education in Beirut, is now reportedly facing potential revocation of his visa and cancellation of his green card. His arrest is seen by many as a direct consequence of former President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on campus unrest, an effort aimed at restoring order and accountability at institutions receiving federal funding.
🚨BREAKING: Mahmoud Khalil, a leading terror supporter at Columbia, has been detained by DHS, had his green card revoked, and is now facing deportation.
More should follow soon. Good riddance.
— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) March 9, 2025
As was reported by The New York Post, Khalil’s arrest took place on Saturday night, when ICE agents entered his campus housing without incident. His attorney, Amy Greer, confirmed the raid and noted that Khalil was detained inside his university-provided residence. Despite having graduated in December 2024, Khalil remained in Columbia housing under a university policy permitting graduates to reside on campus for up to three months post-completion of studies.
The university issued a statement shortly after the arrest, emphasizing its policy of only permitting law enforcement to access non-public university spaces with a judicial warrant. “Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public university areas, including university buildings,” Columbia’s statement read, as cited by The New York Post.
Everybody is talking now about the Syrian pro-terrorism Columbia graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, taken into custody by ICE and DHS agents.
Time to talk about the other pro-terrorism student in this photo, Kyimani James.
Watch the video and you will remember him. Vividly. @DHSgov ‼️ pic.twitter.com/5Ro8atQRwa— miha schwartzenberg (@mihaschw) March 9, 2025
Khalil’s notoriety on campus stems largely from his leadership role in the student group Apartheid Divest, an organization that has spearheaded several major anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. As detailed in The New York Post report, he was a key negotiator during last spring’s prolonged encampment protest, in which dozens of tents were pitched on university grounds, significantly disrupting campus operations.
More recently, Khalil participated in a takeover of Barnard College’s Milstein Library, where protest activity intensified and drew national attention. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, video and photographic evidence posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) shows Khalil prominently engaged in the protest, brandishing a bullhorn and interacting with school administrators at the scene.
Update out of Columbia – pro Palestinian riot leader Mahmoud Khalil was arrested & detained yesterday by DHS (Department of Homeland Security).
The U.S. Dept of State has now revoked Mahmoud Khalil’s immigration status due to his participation in mob riots at Columbia.
He is… pic.twitter.com/295Vgq1qh2
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 9, 2025
The protests at Milstein Library have drawn intense scrutiny, not only due to their disruptive nature but also because of the inflammatory materials distributed during the demonstration. The New York Post report explained that pamphlets purportedly originating from the “Hamas Media Office” were handed out, including one titled “Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”—a reference to the Hamas-led terror attack on October 7 that killed over 1,200 Israelis and ignited the current war in Gaza.
Additionally, protesters reportedly circulated trading card-style images depicting Hassan Nasrallah, the notorious Hezbollah chief killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon in 2024, adding another layer of controversy to the demonstrations. These materials have raised alarm over the nature of the messaging promoted on campus under the guise of activism.
As further revealed by The New York Post, Khalil’s LinkedIn profile indicates he worked as a political affairs officer for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, between June and November 2023. UNRWA has long been accused by Israeli officials of harboring personnel with ties to Hamas and other terror-linked entities, a concern magnified in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
While there is no public allegation that Khalil personally engaged in any violent activity, his association with both UNRWA and radical campus protests places him at the center of a broader debate about foreign influence, academic integrity, and national security.
Khalil’s arrest comes amid heightened federal attention to foreign nationals involved in campus activism perceived as extremist or disruptive. As highlighted in The New York Post report, the Trump administration’s policies have increasingly targeted non-citizens accused of fomenting unrest under the banner of political activism.
🚨 Mahmoud Khalil. A Columbia University grad student from Syria.
He was the lead hijacker of the library at Barnard two days ago. Yesterday, he arrived to facilitate more disruption and violence on campus. ARREST. CAGE. EXPEL. DEPORT.@SecRubio
— NizNellie3 (@NizNellie3) March 7, 2025
Legal experts expect a fierce battle ahead regarding Khalil’s immigration status, particularly if ICE moves forward with canceling his green card or revoking his visa. His attorney has not yet publicly outlined the legal defense strategy but is expected to challenge any punitive immigration actions as politically motivated.
While Columbia University has stated its intent not to interfere with lawful ICE procedures, it remains under pressure from both pro-Israel advocates and free-speech watchdogs who are monitoring the situation closely. The university’s efforts to balance student expression with campus safety have come under increased scrutiny amid national debates over anti-Semitism, extremism, and academic freedom.
In the wake of Khalil’s arrest, Columbia University issued a cautious public statement, emphasizing its intent to “comply with all legal obligations and support our student body and campus community.” As cited by The New York Post, university officials reiterated their long-standing policy that law enforcement requires a judicial warrant to access non-public university facilities—a stance intended to strike a balance between legal compliance and institutional autonomy.
However, the arrest has drawn attention to the growing tensions between university administrations and federal authorities, as schools grapple with how to manage protests that some see as legitimate political expression and others view as dangerous incitement.
ONE DOWN!
Hamas supprter Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by ICE and DHS.
The Columbia University student is being deported, and his green card revoked. pic.twitter.com/XnCQaPVNws
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) March 9, 2025
Khalil has been at the epicenter of Columbia’s most contentious anti-Israel protests over the past year. Last September, he and fellow members of the student-run group Apartheid Divest led disruptive demonstrations that included a symbolic campus “takeover” to mark the start of the academic year. Those protests drew sharp rebuke from local and state officials—including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who urged Columbia leadership to enforce disciplinary codes and take “swift action” against rule-breaking students.
Khalil, however, remained defiant. During the September protests, he told The New York Post that anti-Israel organizers had no plans to scale back. “As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist,” he said. “Not only protests and encampments, the limit is the sky.”
Despite his highly visible presence, Khalil later claimed in an April interview with the Columbia Daily Spectator that he was avoiding direct participation in protests due to concerns about jeopardizing his visa status. Nevertheless, he was briefly suspended that month for participating in a major encampment demonstration on campus—though, the suspension was reversed the next day after the university claimed it lacked sufficient evidence to uphold the disciplinary action.
The spring encampments that gripped Columbia’s Morningside campus reached a fever pitch by mid-April. Dozens of tents cluttered the lawn as protestors called for the university to divest from Israel and sever ties with entities they associated with alleged apartheid practices. On April 18, Columbia President Minouche Shafik ordered the NYPD to forcibly remove the protesters after multiple warnings went unheeded—an unprecedented step that culminated in the arrest of 108 individuals, according to the report in The New York Post.
The crackdown ignited a nationwide ripple effect, prompting solidarity encampments at universities across the country and fueling debate over the limits of free expression versus the necessity of campus discipline.
In addition to his student activism, Khalil’s prior employment with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) from June to November 2023 has raised further concerns. Israeli authorities have long accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas operatives—a charge that has cast a long shadow over Khalil’s role as a political affairs officer within the agency.
Though there is no public allegation tying Khalil directly to any acts of violence, his affiliation with UNRWA and his presence at events where extremist materials—such as pamphlets attributed to the “Hamas Media Office” and trading card-style images of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah—were circulated, has added to the unease surrounding his activities on U.S. soil.
Finally! Columbia’s Mahmoud Khalil Detained—What More Needs to Be Done to Stop Antisemitism on Campus? 🚨
After months of unchecked pro-Palestine activism at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil—a recent graduate and vocal protester—has finally been detained by DHS in NYC.… https://t.co/faSAlNYq22
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) March 9, 2025
Khalil’s arrest follows closely on the heels of another seismic development: President Trump’s announcement of plans to withhold approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University due to alleged noncompliance with federal anti-discrimination statutes. As reported by The New York Post, the punitive measure forms part of a broader effort to pressure elite academic institutions to clamp down on radical activism and enforce institutional accountability.
The timing of Khalil’s detention, just days after Trump’s funding threat, further intensifies the perception that Columbia—and other institutions—are now squarely in the federal crosshairs.
As the legal battle over Khalil’s immigration status unfolds, the implications of his arrest extend far beyond one individual. His case encapsulates a wider national reckoning over the limits of protest, the responsibilities of universities, and the extent to which the federal government can and should intervene in the internal affairs of higher education.
What remains certain, however, is that Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest has become a lightning rod in the growing clash between federal immigration policy, campus activism, and the struggle for ideological control at some of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions.
A single Muslim monster is finally punished? What is TJV selling?
The entire Democrat party and its leaders have for years been the new Nazi party of America. American leftist (“mainstream”) Jewish” organizations have been placing their partisan politics over the safety and welfare of the Jewish people and Israel. With the return of a Republican administration Jews hope that the
antisemites would lose power. Alas, it appears that instead, the most evil islamic Arab country, Qatar, now has a foothold in and in and is controlling the Trump’s government’s policy towards Israel.