Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University who organized pro-Palestinian demonstrations, is currently resisting attempts by the Trump administration to deport him. He accuses the university of contributing to his potential abduction and has called for continued student protests and demonstrations. Khalil, a green-card holder in custody in Louisiana, is being targeted for deportation under a federal immigration law provision that allows the deportation of non-citizens deemed a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Federal officials claim that Khalil’s activities are aligned with Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.

In an op-ed published in the Columbia Spectator, Khalil criticizes the university for suppressing student dissent on Israel’s war in Gaza and accuses it of enforcing a “repression playbook concerning Palestine” under the guise of combating antisemitism. He also refers to other students facing similar risks of deportation, including a Tufts University doctoral student named Rümeysa Öztürk, who had signed an opinion piece calling Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide.” The Tufts University administration supports Öztürk’s right to free expression as outlined in their policies.

Columbia University’s president, Katrina Armstrong, recently resigned after the university agreed to implement a number of changes requested by the Trump administration aimed at curbing what it deemed acts of antisemitism on campus, such as a ban on face masks and giving security officers the power to remove or arrest individuals. The Trump administration had threatened to withdraw $400 million in federal funding if the university did not cooperate.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-university