‘Activities Aligned to Hamas’: ICE Arrests Columbia Student Who Led Violent Anti-Israel Campus Protests in 2024

Latest Developments

ICE Arrests Columbia Student: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested prominent Columbia University student protestor Mahmoud Khalil on March 8. Khalil, who is Palestinian and Syrian, is reportedly facing the revocation of his green card and potential deportation, according to his lawyer. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Khalil had “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” adding that the arrest was carried out “in support of President Trump’s executive order prohibiting anti-Semitism.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that the Trump administration will continue to revoke “visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
Khalil’s Activities on Campus: Khalil was deeply involved in Columbia’s student campus protests following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, atrocities, including the April 2024 takeover of Hamilton Hall. During the occupation of the campus building, maintenance workers were held against their will by dozens of violent student protestors, prompting the New York Police Department to eventually raid the building, making nearly 50 arrests. Khalil also gave interviews in Arabic to the Hamas-aligned Quds News Network while participating in Columbia’s 2024 encampment protests, which featured openly pro-Hamas signs and required participants to support the “right to resist ‘by all available means.’”
Trump Administration Cancels $400 Million in Grants to Columbia: Khalil’s arrest occurred one day after the Trump administration announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia, citing the “school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” A joint statement from the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration described the cancellations as the “first round of action,” with additional measures expected to follow.

FDD Expert Response

“Pro-Hamas protestors glorified terrorism, harassed Jewish students, and broke the law along the way. The only way to stem the tide of campus antisemitism is by imposing serious consequences. The Trump administration and college administrations will have to stand firm against agents of chaos and foreign actors seeking to disrupt the U.S. education system.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“Illegal actions, such as occupying buildings, hijacking campus spaces, and harassing Jewish students, have consequences. The cancellation of federal grants to Columbia sends a clear message to other universities with similar problems: if they fail to hold those responsible accountable, they too will face punitive measures that will damage the reputation and capacity of their esteemed institutions.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor