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Protesters in New York City demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil Tuesday.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images News
A federal judge in New York ordered on Tuesday that a recent Columbia University graduate and permanent U.S. resident who was detained by federal immigration officers Saturday not be removed from the country.
Mahmoud Khalil, who graduated from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs last year and who helped lead the pro-Palestinian encampment protests at the university, is currently being held in a detention center in Louisiana. He is not accused of committing any crime; the Trump administration has cited “national security interests” as the grounds for his detainment and possible deportation.
On Monday morning, Khalil’s lawyers filed a petition challenging his arrest; a hearing is set for Wednesday.
In a post on Truth Social Monday, Trump said that Khalil is “the first of many” students his administration will attempt to deport, calling them “not students, [but] paid agitators.”
“We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country—never to return again,” Trump wrote. “We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply.”
When asked whether Columbia would protect current students approached by ICE or detained on campus, a university spokesperson pointed Course Strat to a statement from Sunday and said students were encouraged to familiarize themselves with university protocols in such cases.
“Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community,” the statement reads. “We are also committed to the legal rights of our students and urge all members of the community to be respectful of those rights.”
