“Anti-American” is how Donald Trump describes a Palestinian student activist who was arrested by federal immigration officials.
A key player in Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian student protest movement is Mahmoud Khalil, a postgraduate student at the institution’s department of international and public affairs.
On Monday, a federal judge in New York City issued an injunction prohibiting Mr. Khalil’s deportation while the court reviews a lawsuit contesting his detention. Wednesday was set aside for a hearing.
On Saturday night, Mr. Khalil was arrested at his Manhattan apartment complex, Columbia, in front of his eight-month pregnant US citizen wife.
According to his attorney, Amy Greer, Mr. Khalil has a US permanent resident green card since 2024, despite the fact that DHS agents informed him his student visa had been terminated. The Trump administration has not disclosed Mr. Khalil’s charges or the nature of his alleged offenses.
According to a US inmate database, he has subsequently been sent to a federal jail for migrants in Louisiana to await deportation procedures. The student’s attorneys have filed a lawsuit to overturn his arrest.
