Cnn
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Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist, who helped to lead a protest movement for Columbia University students, demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, arrested by federal immigration officials on Saturday, who said they were declaring their green card, according to their lawyer.
Khalil’s arrest is the latest increase by President Donald Trump to end Palestinian pro -Palestinian protests on the college campus, and comes a few days later. Vowed to deport foreign students And added “angry people” to “illegal protests”.
Khalil was at the forefront of the anti -war -led movement at Columbia University last year. He was among the investigators by a new university committee Bring disciplinary charges According to the Associated Press, for dozens of students’ Palestinian activities,
“Khalil’s lawyer Amy Greer said,” The arrest of the ICE and the detention of Mahmud has been criticized by the US government after the US government’s activities and open public repression on political speech, especially students at Columbia University for the Israeli invasion of Gaza. ” “The US government has made it clear that they will use immigration enforcement as a device to suppress the speech.”
Greer said that Khalil had filed a hub -Corps petition challenging his arrest and detention, Greer added, adding that his legal team did not know that he was detained at the time. Khalil was shifted to Elizabeth, New Jersey, after initially being reported, Greer said, when his wife tried to meet him, he was told that he had not been detained there.
A spokesman for the ICE New York Field Office told CNN that the arrest was led by the department’s homeland security investigation.
CNN has also reached the Foreign Department for comment.
Khalil, a recent graduate, was arrested by the department of two simple Homeland Security Department in the university -owned apartment building, where he lives with his wife, an American citizen, the authors against the war against Gaza. Said in a press release
The US Department of State canceled Khalil’s student visa, though it does not have a student visa, but is a green card, Wogog said. According to the press release, when Khalil’s wife, who is an eight -month -old pregnant, showed agents their green card, “An agent was apparently confused and said on the phone, ‘He has a green card”.
“However, after a moment, the DHS agents said that the State Department had ‘canceled it too.’ Khalil’s wife then called his lawyer, who spoke to the agents in an attempt to intervene.
Columbia University confirmed in a statement on Sunday that ICE reports were received around the campus, saying that the university “follows and will continue.”
The university did not respond to CNN’s request for additional information, including the school received any accurate warrant for Khalil’s arrest, which stated that it was necessary before entering the Columbia property.
Colombia has been at the forefront of the US campus protests over the Israeli war in Gaza since last year, which affected the wave of demonstrations on the US and abroad universities. Last April, Colombian protesters proceeded to seize the campus building, resulting in dozens of arrests – some of them were later dismissed in court.
Congress Republicans inquired to Colombia’s then President Manovic Shafak about a response to the university’s counter -ism. Shafak said he was “determined to make every effort to compete with him personally.” He resigned four months later.
Weeks later, a university task force said that Jews and Israelis were expelled from groups of students at the school, humiliated in classrooms and were subjected to verbal abuse during spring demonstrations.
In recent days, a small contingent of protesters has made short -lived buildings at Bernard College, Colombia, to protest two students for disrupting a section of Israeli history. Several students were arrested on Wednesday after an hour -long occupation of a building.
Palestinian supporters have repeatedly said that there is no enmity to criticize Israel in Gaza’s actions or to express solidarity with the Palestinians and to demand a ceasefire.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, after Hamas’s deadly attacks on October 7, 2023, more than 45,000 Palestinians, most women and children have been killed in Israeli aggression in Gaza. It has also implemented a siege and demolished the entire communities, providing about 90 % of the population homeless and 100 % food insecurity.
Although the requirements were different among the protesters at every university, the majority of the demonstrations demanded their colleges to withdraw from companies supporting war in Israel and Gaza.
In Colombia, Khalil was selected to serve as a negotiator for students during a Gaza Solidarity camp at the University Campus and spent 17 months against Israeli bombing of Gaza.
The Gaza Solidarity Camp was arranged Columbia University Colorbing Divist According to the Quad, (CUAD), which is a coalition of students from more than 100 organizations, including students in Palestine, and the Jewish Sounds for Peace, to protest that they are constantly financially investing in the university’s “corporations that occupy Israeli color, genocide and Palestine.
“(Khalil) had such a moral explanation that why is it important for us to advocate against genocide, and how, to consider all the privileges we have, we had to use to advocate for those who do not have this privilege,” Jud Taha, who is the graduate of Colombia’s graduates.
Khalil was demanding the University of Columbia to stop using students to invest in various Israeli weapons manufacturing companies and primarily remove any support from Israel. ”
The university’s allegations against Khalil focused on his involvement in the CUAD group. According to the AP, they have been banned from other alleged discrimination actions, in addition to the circulation of social media posts criticizing Zionism, organizing the “unauthorized marching event” and potentially helping to play a “role”.
Khalil told the first AP, “There are about 13 accused against me, most of them are social media posts that I have nothing to do with.”
Khan said Khalil’s arrest did not discourage workers from participating in Palestinian pro-Palestinian reasons-but he has bothered them with their safety.
“Everyone is scared, everyone is angry,” he added. “If this can be the best in our group, then it can be with anyone.”
Despite his fears, Khalil’s arrest will only strengthen the workers’ efforts and unite them, Khan said.
Colombia, which began in October 2023, has become the first target of Trump’s campaign to reduce federal money to these colleges during the Hama war.
Trump signed a Executive Order During his second week at the “fighting enmity” on the college campus – possibly canceling the visa and instructing universities to “monitor” and “report” about international students and staff.
“For all residential foreigners who joined the Jihad protests, we put you on the notice: 2025, we will see you, and we will deport you. Trump said in a fact sheet published with an executive order,” I have been impressed by all Hamas’s sympathizers at the college campus, before the first.
The Trump administration also pulled $ 400 million in grants and contracts from Columbia University, as it describes as a failure to eliminate enmity at the IV League school campus. Colombia said in a statement that it was reviewing the move and would work with the government to restore the fund.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on x In response to Khalil’s detention reports.
New York University professor Robert Cohen, who specializes in students’ activity and social protests in the 20th -century United States, told CNN the Trump administration’s language and publicity that the protesters were “supporters of jihad”.
Cohen said, “Working like everyone is supporting Hamas in the movement.” Most of the people involved in the movement were opposed to the war because of the fact that many people were dying, many civilians were being killed. ”
“In the meantime, they have other tweets defending the free speech, Cohen said, citing support for the January 6 riots.” Trump gave a clean claim to about 1,600 people, including hundreds of people who were convicted of attacking the US capital.
Cohen said the Trump administration’s efforts to use immigration threats against protesters are “Zeno Fobak” and a “police state mentality” reflects, which reflects the “ugly under side” of American political culture.
Civil rights and advocate organizations have also expressed their anger over the arrest of Khalil.
“Khalil is a permanent resident of our nation who has not been accused of any crime nor convicted,” the Council on American Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said in a statement.
Kerr added, “The Homeland Security Department has decided to completely arrest him because of his peaceful genocide activities.
Murad Oudia, president of the New York Immigration Alliance, condemned the arrest of Khalil, saying that targeting the worker was a “competition” of his first amendment rights.
“This unconstitutional act clearly sends a condemnable message that freedom of expression in the United States is no longer safe,” said Oudia.
He added that the green card can only be canceled by the immigration judge, and that the Trump administration is ignoring the law “to give rise to fear and advancing its racist agenda.
Taha and Khan say that since Khalil’s friend and legal team continues to search where he is being detained, and advocating for his release, his mission will not be stopped to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to stop the financial support of the war.
Khan said, “He is not compromising his principles, and is compromising to ensure that we make it about Palestine.”
