Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate who is Palestinian, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security almost one week ago. Since then, Khalil, who is in the United States on a green card, has still not been charged with a crime. And representatives from Columbia University remain markedly silent on his case. On Friday morning, the university said the Trump administration sent ICE agents to raid Columbia dorms.
BREAKING: The US Justice Department is examining whether student protests at Columbia University over the genocide in Gaza violated federal terrorism laws, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said today.
Blanche’s department previously said the investigation is also looking… pic.twitter.com/sLuUs8dgjQ
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) March 14, 2025
Amid the crackdown, the arrest has sparked large protests—both for Khalil’s individual freedom, and for the Palestinian cause he publicly championed on Columbia’s campus.
“He has no connections to Hamas whatsoever. His one and only goal was to get Columbia University to divest from its complicity in Israeli government crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.”
For many days, it was unclear how Khalil was being detained, as lawyers struggled to talk to their client. We now have a better idea of the horrific conditions Khalil has gone through since his arrest. The former Columbia student’s legal team released an updated filing on Thursday, detailing the circumstances of his case. They also held a press conference today, further elucidating what has happened to Khalil.
Here are some key details:
Unclear Legality of Detainment
The legal logic for Khalil’s deportation is obscure. The case against him rests on a little-used provision of the law that allows the Secretary of State to determine whether he is someone whose “presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious foreign policy consequences for the United States.” Per Khalil’s lawyers, “Secretary Rubio made this determination based on Mr. Khalil’s lawful activity protected by the First Amendment: his participation in protests and his statements regarding Palestine and Israel.” However, Secretary Rubio cannot just unilaterally revoke Khalil’s green card without process, his lawyers say. Amy Belsher of NYCLU said such claims are “extremely misleading,” and that the state still must “prove in immigration court that he is deportable under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
Lawyers Say White House Was Possibly Involved in Khalil’s Arrest
The White House, Khalil’s lawyers say, may be directly involved in their clinet’s detainment. “During his transport, Mahmoud was transferred through various state lines…during that process, he was surrounded by many people he believed to be DHS agents. He believes that he heard one of them say that the White House wants an update on what’s going on,” Samah Sisay, of the Center for Constitutional Rights said. “We have reason to believe that many people within the executive branch of the government were involved, including the White House.”
DHS Official Implied “Pro-Palestine Activity” Is a Criminal Act
When pressed as to what Khalil’s “activities with serious foreign policy consequences” are, DHS has been oblique. One official, Troy Edgar, recently went on NPR’s Morning Edition. When questioned on why Khalil was arrested, he had few answers and conflated “pro-Palestine activity” with a criminal act. One of Khalil’s lawyers, Ramzi Kassem of CUNY’s CLEAR law project, said that while Trump administration officials have accused Khalil of “distributing pro-Hamas fliers” outside of court, the state has introduced no such evidence. “As we are all sadly all too familiar, the White House makes all kinds of claims about all kinds of subjects, and this is no exception,” Kassem said. “They have not introduced any fliers in court, and Mr. Khalil vehemently denies doing anything like that. He has no connections to Hamas whatsoever. His one and only goal was to get Columbia University to divest from its complicity in Israeli government crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Khalil Is Being Held In a Private Prison in Louisiana
Khalil is being held at the LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana, a GEO Group-owned private prison that houses thousands of immigrants and is notorious for poor conditions. In 2023, over 300 detainees at the facility attempted a hunger strike to protest medical neglect, inadequate personal hygiene items, and long waits for immigration hearings.
The Trump Administration Reportedly Threatened Columbia to Crackdown
On Thursday, the Trump administration sent a letter to Columbia University, demanding that the school comply with MAGA political priorities in order for $400 million of its federal funding to be restored. The letter called for a full on-campus mask ban, the expulsion of student activists, further authority to arrest students on campus, and that the Middle East, South Asian, and Africa Studies department be placed under external supervision.
Khalil Asked Columbia for Protection
The night before DHS agents arrested him at his university-owned apartment building, Khalil sent Columbia an email asking for protection from potential retaliation by the Trump administration. “I urgently need legal support, and I urge you to intervene and provide the necessary protections to prevent further harm,” Khalil wrote.
Pro-Israeli Groups Pushed American Politicians to Target Khalil
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) reportedly worked with Ross Glick of the fascist-influenced pro-Israel organization Betar to escalate the matter of Khalil’s address to the highest levels of the Trump administration. Betar claims to have submitted “thousands of names” of student activists to the government.
Khalil and Other Students Sued Columbia University
Another lawsuit, filed by Khalil and a group of anonymous Columbia students, accuses the university of collaborating with the Trump administration by illegally sharing student disciplinary records with Congress and other third parties.
Khalil Compared His Detention to Kidnapping Experienced in Syria
Khalil will likely remain at the LaSalle/Jena facility in Louisiana until at least March 17th. His first child is due within the month. His wife, being eight months pregnant, is unable to fly to Louisiana.
In the legal briefing, Khalil said the arrest by DHS felt like he was being “kidnapped.” It reminded him, the briefing says, of “fleeing arbitrary detention in Syria and forced disappearance of his friends in Syria in 2013.”
Another Columbia Student Has Been Arrested
Another Palestinian Columbia student, Leqaa Kordia, who is originally from the West Bank, was arrested March 14th for overstaying her student visa, according to DHS. DHS secretary Kristi Noem alleged in a statement that Kordia “advocate[d] for violence,” but did not elaborate on that claim.
