Columbia anti-Israel protest ringleader Mahmoud Khalil faces court hearing on detention

A tribunal proceeding volition instrumentality spot successful Manhattan national tribunal Wednesday greeting challenging the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, 1 of the ringleaders of anti-Israel protests astatine Columbia University past twelvemonth who the Trump medication is trying to deport.

ICE agents arrested Khalil — who is simply a Palestinian raised successful Syria and a imperishable U.S. nonmigratory — from his university-owned flat connected the city’s Upper West Side connected Saturday and told him they were revoking his greenish paper and pupil visa, according to Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer. 

He was past taken to a Louisiana detention center.

A tribunal proceeding volition instrumentality spot successful Manhattan national tribunal Wednesday greeting challenging the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, 1 of the ringleaders of anti-Israel protests astatine Columbia University past twelvemonth who the Trump medication is trying to deport. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, left, Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, right.)

ICE AGENTS ARREST ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST WHO LED PROTESTS ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FOR MONTHS 

The Department of Homeland Security said that it conducted the apprehension to support U.S. nationalist security, and claimed that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated violent organization."

District Judge Jesse Furman from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is slated to perceive Khalil’s lawsuit astatine astir 11:30 a.m. His attorneys person filed motions asserting that ICE violated Khalil’s law rights and are besides requesting his instrumentality to New York. 

Furman has the powerfulness to bid Khalil’s release, but it is unclear if helium volition bash so. Furman has ordered that the 30-year-old not beryllium deported while the tribunal considers the ineligible situation brought by his lawyers.

Khalil's wife, an American citizen, is presently 8 months pregnant, according to his lawyer. 

"We volition vigorously beryllium pursuing Mahmoud’s rights successful court, and volition proceed our efforts to close this unspeakable and inexcusable — and calculated — incorrect committed against him," Greer said.

Civil rights groups and Khalil’s attorneys accidental the authorities is unconstitutionally utilizing its immigration-control powers to halt him from speaking out. His detention led to protests successful Manhattan this week.

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Khalil, who acted arsenic a spokesperson for Columbia protesters, has not been charged with a crime, though the proceeding could supply much accusation astir the circumstances that led to the apprehension and the government’s justification for keeping him detained.

His lawyers and civilian rights groups reason the authorities is unlawfully retaliating against him for his code and unconstitutionally utilizing its immigration-control powers to halt him from speaking out. A associated filing for Khalil’s lawyers and the authorities up of Wednesday’s proceeding said the authorities intends to reason that the Southern District of New York is not the due venue for the case.

Khalil finished his requirements for a Columbia master’s grade successful December. Born successful Syria, helium is simply a grandson of Palestinians who were forced to permission their homeland, his lawyers said successful a ineligible filing.

Khalil played a major relation successful the protests against Israel which rocked Columbia University past twelvemonth and helium met with assemblage officials connected behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a radical of pupil groups urging the assemblage to divest from Israel, according to CNN. 

Counter-protesters rally against radical denouncing the apprehension of erstwhile Columbia postgraduate pupil Mahmoud Khalil successful New York connected March 10, 2025.  (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration's determination to apprehension Khalil and claimed that helium distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers connected campus. 

"This medication is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying successful our state and past siding with pro-terrorist organizations that person killed Americans," Leavitt told reporters Tuesday astatine a White House property briefing, noting that connected her table were the "pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas" connected them that Khalil allegedly was distributing. "We person a zero-tolerance argumentation for siding with terrorists period."

The aboriginal of Khalil’s migration presumption volition beryllium decided successful a abstracted process, according to the New York Times. That substance volition beryllium presided implicit by an migration judge, who could find whether to revoke Khalil’s greenish card.

Protesters rally against the apprehension of erstwhile Columbia postgraduate pupil Mahmoud Khalil successful New York connected March 10, 2025. Mahmoud Khalil was 1 of the main pupil organizers of the pupil encampment past twelvemonth astatine Columbia University. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)

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Meanwhile, ABC News reports that Khalil’s woman claims that her hubby "begged" Columbia University for ineligible enactment successful an email 1 time earlier his apprehension but the assemblage ne'er responded. 

"I haven't been capable to sleep, fearing that ICE oregon a unsafe idiosyncratic mightiness travel to my home. I urgently request ineligible enactment and I impulse you to intervene," helium reportedly said successful his email.

She besides claims she was threatened with apprehension erstwhile she refused to permission her hubby with agents during his apprehension, claiming that the mates was ne'er shown a warrant, per the outlet. 

Fox News’ Diana Stancy, Alexis McAdams and Stepheny Price, arsenic good arsenic The Associated Press contributed to this report.