US court temporarily blocks effort to deport Gaza protest leader

On Monday, a large group of protesters gathered in Foley Square, New York City, to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who was recently arrested by immigration agents. Many of the demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held signs calling for Khalil's freedom. A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration's efforts to deport Khalil, who is a permanent resident of the United States and a graduate of Columbia University. Khalil has been a prominent figure in protests against the Gaza war that took place last year at his university. This arrest is part of President Trump's broader initiative to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, which he has described as 'the first arrest of many to come. ' The protesters in New York City expressed their outrage over Khalil's detention and marched through the streets, chanting for his release. Some individuals were even detained by police during the demonstration. Columbia University Professor Michael Thaddeus stated, 'We are facing a horrifying reality that one of our students has become a political prisoner here in the United States. ' The judge has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, where Khalil is expected to appear. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents informed Khalil that they were revoking his student visa and green card when they took him into custody. His lawyer reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Khalil of 'leading activities aligned to Hamas,' but did not provide any specific details regarding these allegations. The BBC has reached out to the agency for further clarification on the claims. President Trump has previously stated that foreign students identified as 'terrorist sympathizers' would face deportation, and Khalil is the first known individual to be detained under this policy. His attorney, Amy Greer, condemned Khalil's detention as 'terrible and inexcusable,' arguing that it is part of the US government's ongoing repression of student activism and political expression. Khalil, who was born in Syria and is a Palestinian refugee, has not been charged with any crime. ICE agents arrested him at his university-owned apartment in Manhattan and initially placed him in a detention facility in New Jersey before transferring him to a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, according to ICE records. His lawyer also claimed that ICE threatened to arrest his wife, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, when she attempted to visit him in New Jersey. Officials informed her that Khalil was not present at the facility. Columbia University stated that law enforcement can enter campus property with a warrant but denied that university leadership had invited ICE agents onto the campus. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the administration's position, stating on social media, 'We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported. ' The Trump administration announced last week that it would be rescinding $400 million in federal grants to Columbia, accusing the university of failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus. Columbia was a focal point for pro-Palestinian student protests last year against the war in Gaza and US support for Israel. Khalil was a lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which organized a significant protest on the university lawn against the Gaza war. He later shared with the BBC that he had been temporarily suspended from the university, where he was a graduate student at the School of International and Public Affairs. New York Civil Liberties Union President Donna Lieberman described Khalil's deportation as 'targeted retaliation and an extreme attack on the First Amendment. ' New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed her deep concern and stated that she is closely monitoring the case. Some Jewish students at Columbia have claimed that the rhetoric during the protests crossed the line into antisemitism. School officials raised these concerns when they announced that classes would be fully remote until the end of the 2024 spring semester. However, many contested the accusations of antisemitism, and some Jewish students also participated in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Carly, a Jewish-American graduate student and friend of Khalil, rejected the negative portrayal of him, stating, 'He is a very caring person. ' She expressed her pain over how Khalil has been misrepresented in the media. Speaking on Fox News, Trump's border official Tom Homan alleged that Khalil had violated the terms of his visa by 'locking down buildings and destroying property. ' The Israeli military launched its campaign against Hamas in response to a significant cross-border attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died as a result of Israel's military actions.