The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student and legal U.S. resident, marks a major escalation in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and immigration enforcement.
Khalil, a Columbia University student and green card holder, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend, sparking legal challenges and widespread outrage. The Trump administration claims Khalil violated his residency terms by supporting Hamas, but he has not been charged or convicted of any crimes.
Critics, including Democrats and civil rights groups, argue that deporting legal residents for political activism is unconstitutional. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called the move “straight-up authoritarianism”, while New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed “extreme concern” over the arrest.
Trump has defended the action, calling Khalil a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student” and promising more deportations of protest leaders. The administration’s policy follows Project Esther, a Heritage Foundation blueprint advocating for deporting pro-Palestinian activists.
Khalil’s lawyers are fighting his deportation in federal court, arguing that the government has not provided legal justification for revoking his green card.
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