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Who is Columbia Grad Student Mahmoud Khalil? Campus Agitator Tied to Radical Anti-Israel Protests & UNRWA Employment
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a stunning development that has intensified scrutiny over radicalism on college campuses, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took into custody Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and a leading figure in a controversial pro-Palestinian activist group. As reported by The New York Post, Khalil was apprehended on Saturday during a raid at a Columbia University–owned apartment where he lived with his pregnant wife.
Khalil, a Palestinian-born Syrian national, is no stranger to controversy. He has served as the public face of Columbia United Apartheid Divest (CUAD) — a radical campus group that openly aligns itself with extremist causes, including expressing sympathies toward terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, while also espousing rhetoric that calls for the “end of Western civilization.”
Khalil’s arrest is just the latest chapter in what The New York Post report described as a long-running saga of agitation, campus unrest, and intimidation under the CUAD banner. He has been a central organizer of anti-Israel demonstrations, building takeovers, and protest encampments at both Columbia University and Barnard College — protests that have frequently escalated into violence, property damage, and fear among Jewish students and faculty members.
These incidents, dating back to at least spring of last year, have led to multiple injuries and physical damage to university facilities. Khalil’s prominent role in these disruptive actions has drawn condemnation from multiple quarters, including university officials, law enforcement, and alumni groups concerned about the escalating radicalism permeating elite academic institutions.
Khalil’s controversial background extends beyond the Columbia campus. According to his LinkedIn profile, he briefly worked as a political affairs officer at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) — a U.N. agency now mired in scandal. As was reported by The New York Post, UNRWA recently lost tens of millions of dollars in U.S. federal funding following revelations that some of its personnel participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis — one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history.
While there is no evidence that Khalil himself was involved in those attacks, his employment with an agency now under international scrutiny only deepens the controversy surrounding his presence in the U.S. and his activities on American soil.
Khalil’s activism on campus has already prompted disciplinary action in the past. As was detailed in The New York Post report, he was briefly suspended by Columbia University in April 2023 due to his involvement in campus demonstrations. That decision, however, was swiftly reversed just a day later due to “lack of evidence,” Khalil himself told BBC at the time.
Despite this brief setback, Khalil continued to serve as CUAD’s lead negotiator with Columbia administrators, including during last spring’s Gaza solidarity encampment, in which dozens of tents were erected across Columbia’s campus lawn — one of the most visible and contentious protest actions in the school’s recent history.
Khalil has not shied away from the spotlight. He has appeared in Arabic-language interviews on Quds News Network, a pro-Palestinian media outlet, and has been frequently photographed at demonstrations — donning a keffiyeh headscarf, shouting into bullhorns, leading chants, and even participating in protest dance circles.
His prominence in such events has made him a symbol of the increasingly militant tone of campus anti-Israel activism — one that many critics argue has crossed the line from political expression into outright intimidation and disruption.
The ICE operation that led to Khalil’s arrest has also raised questions about his immigration status. According to his attorney Amy Greer, Khalil is a permanent U.S. resident and holds a green card. He was taken into custody despite this status, with The New York Post confirming that his eight-months pregnant wife was in their apartment at the time of the raid.
While federal authorities have not disclosed the specific charges or grounds for Khalil’s detention, his high-profile activism and associations with controversial organizations are likely to be part of an evolving investigation.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil has further intensified the political climate surrounding free speech, extremism, and safety on university campuses. As The New York Post has consistently reported, Columbia University has become a flashpoint for anti-Israel activism, often blurring the lines between legitimate protest and radicalism.
With Khalil’s detention now a national story, institutional leaders at Columbia are likely to face renewed calls to enforce stricter standards of conduct and distance the university from groups that espouse extremist rhetoric and tactics.
Mahmoud Khalil’s case could be a watershed moment in how institutions, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies address the rising influence of radical political movements within academia. The intersection of immigration enforcement, university politics, and the fallout from global terror affiliations is now at the forefront of public concern.
Whether Khalil’s arrest marks a turning point or a temporary flare-up in a deeper ideological struggle remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the spotlight on radicalism in America’s most prestigious academic halls has never burned brighter.
