Introduction to the Case
Attorneys for the detained Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil released video footage of his arrest by ICE officers inside his university housing, as recorded by his wife who is eight months pregnant. Khalil’s wife, Noor Abdalla can be heard narrating the encounter, as she films Khalil being placed in handcuffs in the hallway of their apartment building.
The Arrest and Its Circumstances
“They just handcuffed and took him. I don’t know what to do,” she says, her voice near tears. “What should I do? I don’t know.” As officers lead Khalil outside, Abdalla switches into Arabic, “My love how will I call you,” she says, as Khalil has passed off his phone to her. “Call Amy,” Khalil says, referring to his attorney Amy Greer. Attorneys for Khalil say the couple was not shown any arrest warrant though they repeatedly asked to see one.
The Trump Administration’s Stance
The Trump administration says it’s revoked Khalil’s green card under an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the Secretary of State to do so if a person presents “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia and a green card holder who became a spokesperson for the student movement last spring, was being detained as of Friday in an immigration jail in Louisiana, while his attorneys implore a judge to transfer him back to New York and release him.
Escalation of Arrests and Pressure on Columbia University
The release of the video comes the same day the Department of Homeland Security announced ICE had arrested a second Columbia student involved in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the campus last spring. Leqaa Kordia had an expired student visa and was arrested by ICE officers in Newark, according to the press release. The arrest was the latest in the Trump administration’s intensifying crackdown on Columbia University, where student activism against Israel’s war in Gaza last spring helped trigger a nationwide movement of student encampments.
Further Actions by the Trump Administration
DHS announced on Friday that it had revoked the student visa of a third student, Ranjani Srinivasan, who was studying Urban Planning at Columbia University and chose to self-deport on Tuesday, the release said. Srinivasan was “involved in activities supporting Hammas [sic],” while Kordia was “arrested for her involvement in pro-Hamas protests,” DHS said in a press release, though the agency has provided no additional details of that support beyond their involvement in the campus demonstrations. As in the case of Khalil, neither was accused of any criminal activity. Critics see arrests as an effort by the Trump administration to stifle constitutionally protected speech critical of Israel.
University and Student Response
President Donald Trump has been rapidly clamping down on Columbia, withdrawing $400 million in federal contracts last week, citing the “persistent harassment of Jewish students.” Days later Columbia University announced it had expelled some students involved in a day-long occupation of Hamilton Hall, which came after two weeks of ongoing encampments in the campus lawn. But hours later, the Trump administration upped the pressure, threatening additional funding cuts in a letter to the university demanding a series of changes, including implementing a mask ban, putting its Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department in some sort of “academic receivership” for at least five years, and incorporating “anti-Zionist discrimination” in its definition of antisemitism.
Ongoing Protests and Support
Meanwhile demonstrations demanding Mahmoud’s release continued for the fifth straight day Friday afternoon, with dozens of supporters gathering at the gates of the university. “We are not afraid. We will not stop ” said Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian-American activist with the group Within our Lifetime. “Not until Mahmoud is free.”
Conclusion
The situation surrounding Mahmoud Khalil and other Columbia students highlights the increasing tension between the Trump administration and institutions of higher learning, particularly regarding issues of free speech, political activism, and immigration. The use of obscure legal provisions to detain and potentially deport students based on their political activities raises significant concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and academic freedom.
FAQs
- Q: Why was Mahmoud Khalil arrested?
- A: Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by ICE officers, with his green card revoked under a provision allowing for such action if a person presents “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
- Q: What is the Trump administration’s stance on Columbia University?
- A: The Trump administration has been clamping down on Columbia, withdrawing federal contracts and threatening further funding cuts, citing the need for the university to address what it sees as harassment of Jewish students and to make specific changes to its policies and academic departments.
- Q: Are the arrests seen as an attack on free speech?
- A: Yes, critics view the arrests and actions by the Trump administration as an effort to stifle constitutionally protected speech critical of Israel and to suppress political activism on campuses.
- Q: What is the status of the other students involved?
- A: Another student, Leqaa Kordia, was arrested for an expired student visa, and a third, Ranjani Srinivasan, chose to self-deport after her student visa was revoked. Both were involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
