Who is Mahmoud Khalil? Will Palestinian student protester arrested at Columbia University. Will he face deportation?

The student workers' labour union on Sunday said that US immigration agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student who has been a key figure in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York.

As reported by Reuters, Mahmoud Khalil a student at the university's School of International and Public Affairs, was arrested by US Department of Homeland Security agents at his university residence on Saturday, the Student Workers of Columbia union said in a statement.

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His wife is an American citizen, eight months pregnant, according to news reports, and “he holds a US permanent residency green card”, the union said.

Why was Khalil arrested?

Khalil's detention seems to be one of the first actions by US President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House in January, to make good on his promise to target “foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests”, which he has labelled “antisemitic”. The Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent US-supported Israeli assault on Gaza have sparked months of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests across US college campuses.

Khalil describes the movement as an anti-war initiative that includes Jewish students and groups. He was also one of the lead negotiators with school administrators on behalf of pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom set up tent encampments on Columbia's lawns and took over an academic building for several hours before police were called to arrest them, according to the report.

Khalil was not in the group that occupied the building, but was a mediator between Columbia vice provosts and the protesters, Reuters reported.

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In an interview with Reuters a few hours before his arrest on Saturday about Trump's criticism of student protesters, Khalil said he was concerned that the government was targeting him for speaking to the media.

Who is Khalil?

Khalil was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and has worked for the British embassy in Beirut, according to his online biography. As of Sunday, he was being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, as confirmed by the ICE online detainee locator. Khalil's lawyer, Amy Greer, did not respond to requests for comment, and his wife declined to comment through one of Khalil's fellow students.

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A spokesperson for Columbia said the school was barred by law from sharing information about individual students, but said in a statement the school was “committed to the legal rights of our students.”

Secretary Marco Rubio says, ‘Green card visa…’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared a news report about Khalil's arrest on social media, adding, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

"The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, that murdered people in western Syria in recent days. The United States stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families. Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria’s minority communities accountable," said Secretary Marco Rubio in a post on X.

Trump cancels contracts

Trump has singled out Columbia for its handling of student protesters and has quickly increased pressure on the school: Khalil's arrest came a day after the Trump administration said it had canceled government contracts and grants awarded to Columbia University worth about $400 million. The government said the cuts and the student deportation efforts, which are likely to face legal challenges, are because of antisemitic harassment at and near Columbia's Manhattan campus.

"What more can Columbia do to appease Congress or the government now?" Khalil told Reuters hours before his arrest, noting that Columbia had twice called in police to arrest protesters and had disciplined many pro-Palestinian students and staff, suspending some. “They basically silenced anyone supporting Palestine on campus and this was not enough. Clearly Trump is using the protesters as a scapegoat for his wider agenda fighting and attacking higher education and the Ivy League education system.”

Columbia's interim President, Katrina Armstrong, stated that the university is committed to combating antisemitism and is “working with the federal government to address their legitimate concerns.”

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For several years, Khalil and his fellow protesters have called on Columbia to divest from weapons manufacturers and companies that support Israel's military, using the university's $14.8 billion endowment. In response, Columbia expressed its willingness to expedite the consideration of the students' demands through its advisory committee on socially responsible investing.

(With inputs from agencies)