ICE Arrests Columbia Student Involved in Pro-Palestinian Protests

Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil

• 🧊 Federal immigration agents (ICE) arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a campus activist and graduate student, over the weekend.
• 📱 Cell phone video, shot by his 8-month pregnant wife, shows the moment of his arrest.
• ⚖️ Khalil's attorney states that agents did not produce a warrant and claimed his visa was revoked, despite him being a lawful permanent resident.
• 🗣️ Supporters view the arrest as a suppression of free speech and fear other students could be "disappeared and deported."

Other Student Arrests and Deportations

• 🇮🇳 A student from India, Rani Shasan, agreed to leave the country after her visa was revoked by DHS for allegedly supporting Hamas.
• 🇵🇸 Another student, Lea Cordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by DHS for her involvement in the Hamilton Hall takeover.

Columbia University's Response and Protests

• 🏛️ Columbia University announced disciplinary actions against dozens of students for the takeover of Hamilton Hall.
• 😠 Students expressed unhappiness, feeling the college was caving to pressure from the Trump Administration.
• vandalized with graffiti reading "free them all."

Legal and Political Context

• 🔍 ICE agents also executed search warrants on campus last night, though they did not find who they were looking for.
• ⚖️ There is an ongoing review into whether Columbia's handling of earlier incidents violated civil rights laws or included terrorism crimes.
• 💰 The student sanctions came about a week after the Trump Administration announced it was canceling $400 million in federal funds.