Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil without an arrest warrant, the Department of Homeland Security admitted in a court filing this week. Khalil, a legal U.S. resident from Syria, has been in ICE custody since March 8, sparking national outcry.
In a filing submitted to federal court Thursday, DHS lawyers argued that exigent circumstances justified the warrantless arrest. They claimed agents believed Khalil “would escape before they could obtain a warrant” when they approached him in the foyer of his apartment building.
Khalil, a prominent voice in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia, was issued a warrant only after being transported to an ICE office in New York.
His attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, called the revelation “astounding,” accusing DHS of misleading both the court and public. “This is egregious conduct… that should require under the law termination of these proceedings,” he said.
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