Washington, D.C. — Friday night, Homeland Security agents took Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil into custody. Khalil was arrested for his organizing role in last year’s anti-war protest on Columbia’s campus last Spring.
Khalil is a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, a husband to a wife who is eight months pregnant, and a Palestinian-American with a permanent residence green card.
The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department have stated that Khalil’s actions were “aligned with Hamas” and that anyone deemed a “Hamas supporter” would be deported. Khalil’s arrest came days after the Trump administration took away $400 million from Columbia University as a sanction for last year’s protests—despite the University’s brutal crackdown on them.
Over the last year, Columbia, like many other universities, has taken steps to crack down on student organizing and quiet student leadership—yet the financial attack on the campus has hit hard.
Throughout our history, progress has been paved by student protestors brave enough to stand up for what they believe in. Khalil stood for an end to the illegal occupation of Gaza and for those beliefs he was arrested. State-sponsored repression by any administration against protected activities like Mahmoud’s should be viewed as an attack on our democracy.
This is the latest in a series of steps paved by Project Esther, an action plan published by the Heritage Foundation to weaponize bipartisan anti-Palestinian sentiment in Congress against the broader progressive ecosystem—starting with nonprofits and student organizations. Trump has made clear he intends to continue imprisoning those who organize in support of Palestinian liberation.
Join the Task Force and countless organizations nationwide calling for Khalil’s release. Click here to call Congress and demand Mahmoud Khalil be freed.
