Tensions are skyrocketing at a prominent New York university after a pro-Palestinian campus activist was arrested by immigration officers and threatened with deportation.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil comes after President Donald Trump promised to deport pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses last year.
Trump made the vow in front of his re-election donors during a roundtable event last spring, participants told the Washington Post.
‘One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country,’ Trump is claimed to have said on May 14, 2024. ‘You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they’re going to behave.’
Plain-clothed immigration officers arrested Columbia University graduate Mr Khalil in his university-residence in front of his heavily-pregnant wife on March 8.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed he ‘lead activities aligned to Hamas’ during his work with the pro-Palestine demonstrators last year.
His lawyers say there is no evidence he supported any US-designated terrorist groups. Mr Khalil has repeatedly said he only worked as a spokesperson for protesters and as a mediator with the university during the protests last year.
Syrian-born Mr Khalil has been threatened with deportation, despite being married to an American woman and holding a green card.
Staff at Columbia University have now warned students and faculty at the school’s journalism department that they could be at risk of Trump’s crackdown.
Stuart Karle, a First Amendment lawyer and adjunct professor, warned the hall and stressed to students who aren’t US citizens: ‘If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East.’
The New York Times reported that when a Palestinian student objected, the journalism school’s dean, Jelani Cobb said: ‘Nobody can protect you. These are dangerous times.’
The past week has been tumultuous for Columbia University and its student protesters, who are part of what is arguably the most visible pro-Palestine student movement in the US.
Citing ‘antisemitism’, President Trump’s administration withdrew $400,000,000 in federal grants and contracts from Columbia – before arresting student protest leader Mr Khalil the next day.
Can green-card holders be kicked out of the US?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has threatened to revoke the visas and green cards of ‘Hamas supporters’ – and deport them.
But is it possible?
Green card holders are considered lawful, permanent residents of the United States.
Cornell Law School immigration law professor Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer told PBS: ‘Immigration law does allow the federal government to deport noncitizens, even people who are green card holders.’
Green card holders can be deported without evidence of crimes committed. The exception to this is if the holder has committed fraud or provided material support for terrorist groups.
Trump has claimed Mr Khalil took part in ‘Hamas aligned activities’, but no evidence has been provided.
Despite touting First Amendment rights, Trump previously praised New York cops for breaking up protests at Columbia University and said similar demonstrations needed ‘to be stopped now’.
In his inaugural speech, Trump said: ‘After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.
‘Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents, something I know something about.
‘We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal, and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law.’
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Trump previously said implications around First Amendment free speech rights were ‘sweeping and troubling’ when speaking about the potential shut down of TikTok.
The pro-Palestine demonstrations are at the centre of Trump’s ‘crackdown’ on those in support of Gaza.
Last year, universities became focal points for demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. Students at Columbia University in New York barricaded Hamilton Hall – which they renamed Hind’s Hall, after a killed Palestinian girl – as tensions rose.
Accusations of anti-Semitism have also fed into the protests – which saw a mix of pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators clash.
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