On the evening of March 8, Mahmoud Khalil and his wife returned to their Columbia University-owned apartment in New York City. As they unlocked the door, two plainclothes men pushed in behind them. Khalil, a recent graduate and prominent activist, was told his visa had been revoked, and he was being deported. When he demanded a warrant, one of the men—later identified as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer—flashed a picture of a document on his phone. When Khalil insisted on seeing an official warrant, the officers ignored him. His wife, eight months pregnant and a U.S. citizen, was threatened with arrest if she didn’t comply.
Khalil was forcibly taken into ICE custody that night. Initially held in New York, he was quickly transferred to an undisclosed facility, vanishing for over 24 hours. His wife and lawyer desperately searched for him, unable to get answers. He was eventually located in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a private detention facility notorious for human rights abuses, including medical neglect and sexual assault.
DHS’s decision to direct all media inquiries to the White House made it clear: this was no routine immigration enforcement. It was a political disappearance, ordered from the top. Khalil, a Palestinian activist, had been a leading organizer of Columbia University’s encampment protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza last year. His detention marked a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to silence dissent.
Khalil was not an undocumented immigrant. He had recently obtained his green card—a fact that visibly surprised the DHS agents who abducted him. One officer placed a phone call before informing Khalil that his green card had also been revoked. His lawyer, listening on the line, again demanded legal documentation. The officers hung up on her.
Under U.S. law, deportation of green card holders requires evidence of a serious crime or engagement in terrorist activities. Khalil had committed neither. The Trump administration justified the arrest under its recently announced “catch and revoke” initiative, aimed at expelling individuals deemed “pro-Hamas.” But no evidence has surfaced linking Khalil to Hamas. His only known “crime” was advocating for Palestinian rights and leading a protest demanding Columbia University divest from companies profiting from Israel’s war in Gaza.
DHS eventually released a statement to The Guardian, claiming Khalil’s green card was revoked under Trump’s executive order on “prohibiting antisemitism.” Senator Marco Rubio reinforced this, stating: “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.” The administration had now conflated peaceful activism with terrorism—setting a precedent for future political repression.
One day before Khalil’s arrest, the Trump administration pulled $400 million in federal grant funding from Columbia University. The stated reason: the school’s “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,” a thinly veiled reference to its pro-Palestinian activism. The timing of Khalil’s disappearance suggests a direct link between the funding cut and his targeted arrest.
Despite its reputation as a leading institution for political science and history, Columbia University’s response was feeble. Instead of condemning the federal government’s actions, the university released a vague statement:
“There have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus. Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. We want to again communicate to our campus community that we have a protocol in place, which includes phone numbers to call in case you are approached on or off campus.”
No mention of Khalil. No condemnation of the constitutional violations. Just a phone number for students to call if they found themselves facing unlawful detention.
The Trump administration’s willingness to blatantly violate constitutional rights should have provoked immediate political outcry. Instead, leading Democrats hesitated. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took over 48 hours to comment, eventually stating that Khalil’s arrest was “wildly inconsistent with the United States Constitution” but also questioning his potential ties to Hamas. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as of publication, has issued no comment at all.
Progressive lawmakers were among the first to condemn the arrest. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned:
“If the federal government can disappear a legal U.S. permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear U.S. citizens too. Anyone—left, right, or center—who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights and free speech should be sounding the alarm now.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib also condemned the arrest, calling it “an assault on our First Amendment and freedom of speech.” In New York, City Council member Chi Ossé was blunt in his assessment:
“They’re not doing this despite his rights. They’re doing this because of his rights—they’re violating the Constitution on purpose, testing the fragile system to see what they can get away with.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the ICE office in New York, demanding Khalil’s release. Jewish-led organizations, including Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, denounced the Trump administration’s actions as an authoritarian power grab.
Khalil’s disappearance is not just about him. It is a test. By targeting a Palestinian activist with a green card, the Trump administration is gauging how far it can push the limits of political suppression before facing real resistance.
For years, the U.S. government has used the label of “terrorist” to justify human rights violations—especially against Muslims and people of color. Now, the administration is stretching the definition even further, using it to silence political opponents. The arrest of a legal resident without due process marks a shift toward open authoritarianism.
History has seen this before. The House recently reintroduced a bill to designate “Antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization, giving law enforcement broad powers to arrest left-wing activists. Trump has pledged to prosecute individuals released without charges from the 2020 protests. FBI leadership under Kash Patel has deprioritized monitoring far-right extremism, refocusing on Black Lives Matter and Antifa instead.
The Trump administration is systematically dismantling constitutional protections under the guise of national security. Today, it’s Mahmoud Khalil. Tomorrow, it could be anyone who dares to speak out.
Efforts to secure Khalil’s release are gaining traction, but the pressure must intensify. Jewish activists, Columbia faculty, and progressive politicians are demanding action. As Rep. Ocasio-Cortez warned, this is not just about Khalil—it is about the future of civil liberties in America.
Columbia University could refuse to allow ICE agents on campus. Professors could strike until the administration takes action. Congress could launch investigations into DHS’s overreach. But so far, none of these things have happened.
New York City Council member Chi Ossé put it bluntly:
“If the feds can snatch up an American green card holder for speech they don’t like and get away with it, they won’t stop here. They’ll be able to erase the right to speech they don’t agree with and kidnap anyone who dares resist.”
Follow ACLU for information about Free Mahmoud Khalil.
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