Mahmoud Khalil, an activist in Colombian student protests, is detained by immigration agents

Federal immigration authorities arrested a Palestinian activist on Saturday who played a major role in Columbia’s protests against Israel, a massive escalation in the Trump administration’s pledge to detain and deport student activists.

His attorney, Amy Greer, told the Associated Press that his attorney, Amy Greer, told the Associated Press.

Greer said she spoke to one of the Icefield agents by phone during her arrest, who said they were acting on the State Department orders to revoke Harrier’s student visa. The attorney told the attorney Khalil was a permanent resident of the green card, and according to the attorney, they were revoking that.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Harrier’s arrest in a statement Sunday, calling it “a support for President Trump’s execution order banning anti-Semitism.”

The arrest of Khalil is the first public deportation effort Trump has promised to suppress students, joining protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza last spring. The government claims that participants lost their right to stay in the country by supporting Hamas.

McLaughlin said the arrest was directly related to Khalil’s role in the protests, accusing him of “leading an activity consistent with the designated terrorist group Hamas.”

Greer said they also threatened to arrest Khalil’s wife, who was eight months pregnant when Icefield agents arrived at Khalil’s Manhattan residence Saturday night.

Lawyer, wife doesn’t know Khalil’s current location

Harrier’s attorney said they were initially told he was detained in an immigration detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but when his wife tried to visit Sunday, she learned that he was not there. Greer said she still had no idea about Harrier’s whereabouts as of Sunday night.

“We can’t get more details about why he was detained,” Greer told the Associated Press. “This is a clear escalation. The government is following its threat.”

A Columbia University spokesman said law enforcement officers must develop an arrest warrant before entering university property, but refused to say whether the school received a warrant before Khalil was arrested. A spokesman declined to comment on Khalil’s detention.

In a message shared by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a message shared on Sunday night that the government “will revoke visas and/or green cards from U.S. Hamas supporters in order to deport them.”

The Department of Homeland Security can initiate deportation procedures against green card holders to conduct various suspected criminal activities, including supporting terrorist organizations. But, according to immigration experts, detention of a permanent legal resident who has not been charged with a crime marks an unwise move, and its legal foundation is uncertain.

Arrested for “expressing opinions”

“This seems to be a retaliation for people who don’t like the Trump administration,” said Camille Mackler, founder of the New York Immigration ARC.

Khalil received his master’s degree from the Columbia School of International Affairs last semester, and he was a negotiator for students who bargained with university officials to end the end of a tent camp that was established on campus last spring.

The role makes him one of the most obvious activists supporting the movement, prompting pro-Israeli activists in recent weeks to call on the Trump administration to start a lawsuit against him.

Khalil also participated in the people being investigated by the New Columbia University office, which filed disciplinary charges against dozens of students, according to records shared by the Associated Press.

The investigation is because the Trump administration follows its threat to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Colombia, which is because the administration describes the reason why Ivy League schools fail to reject anti-Semitism on campus.

The university’s allegations against Khalil are focused on his involvement in the Columbia University’s Apartheid Deprivation Group. He faces sanctions that could help organize “unauthorized marchs” in which participants were accused of glorifying Hamas on October 7, 2023, attacking and playing a “substantial role” in social media posts criticizing Zionism, as well as other alleged discrimination.

“I have about 13 charges against me, most of which are social media posts that I have nothing to do with me,” Khalil told the Associated Press last week.

“They just want to show Congress and right-wing politicians that they are doing something regardless of the students’ bets,” he added. “It’s mainly about relaxing the office of Plasteen’s speech.”