ICE arrests Palestinian activist who led Columbia University protests, lawyer says

Feds arrest Palestinian activist who helped lead last year's student protests at Columbia Feds arrest Palestinian activist who helped lead last year's student protests at Columbia 02:42

A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University's 2024 student encampment protests was arrested Saturday night in New York City by federal immigration authorities who claimed they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card, according to his attorney.

Mahmoud Khalil was at his university-owned apartment blocks from Columbia's Manhattan campus when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the building and took him into custody, Amy Greer, his attorney, told The Associated Press.

One of the agents told Greer by phone that they were executing a State Department order to revoke Khalil's student visa. Informed by the attorney that Khalil, who graduated in December, was in the U.S. as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to Greer.

In a statement to CBS News, the Department of Homeland Security said Khalil's arrest was "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism," alleging the former student "led activities aligned to Hamas." The department did not provide details of any charges or alleged crimes.

When ICE agents arrived at the campus building Saturday, they also threatened to arrest Khalil's wife, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, Greer told the AP. The authorities declined to say why Khalil was being arrested, according to the attorney.

They were initially told Khalil was transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. But when his wife tried to visit Sunday, she learned he was not there — and may have been transferred as far away as Louisiana, Greer said.

Greer told CBS News New York in a statement, "We will vigorously be pursuing Mahmoud's rights in court, and will continue our efforts to right this terrible and inexcusable -- and calculated -- wrong committed against him."

President Trump targets colleges and "illegal protests"

The arrest comes after President Trump vowed to deport foreign students and imprison "agitators" involved in protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The administration has placed particular scrutiny on Columbia, announcing Friday that it would be cutting $400 million in grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.

Greer said the authorities declined to tell Khalil's wife, who is eight months pregnant, why he was being detained. Khalil has since been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

"We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained," Greer told The AP. "This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats."

"There have been reports of ICE around campus"

A spokesperson for Columbia said law enforcement agents must produce a warrant before entering university property. The spokesperson declined to say if the school had received a warrant for Khalil's arrest. The spokesperson also declined to comment on Khalil's detention.

A statement on Columbia's website read, "There have been reports of ICE around campus. Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings. Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community."

Khalil had become one of the most visible faces of the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia. As Columbia students erected tents on campus last spring, Khalil was picked to serve as a negotiator on behalf of students and met frequently with university administrators.

When classes resumed in September, he told The Associated Press that the protests would continue: "As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist."

News of his arrest rippled through the campus and is raising concerns among some students.

"I was actually in class when I got the news. I couldn't focus on anything," one student said. "Freedom of speech is under assault it feels like everywhere in this country right now, which is tragic. I don't think you can scare Americans into submission. I think that most people will see this and stand up with Mr. Khalil and see this as, hopefully, an opportunity to wake up and realize the assaults on our democracy that are happening."

Immigration attorney Naresh M. Gehi told CBS News New York his review of what happened to Khalil is a violation of due process.

"I must say it did shock my conscience as a lawyer," Gehi said. "If he's a green card holder, slam dunk. There's no way to arrest him. He had not been charged with a crime or if he's, you know, if there's something more than that, really, there's no way. Number one, because you're dealing with a legal resident alien, which means you're dealing with the green card holder who has a lot of rights in our country."