ICE agents have recently arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, who completed his graduate studies at Columbia University in December.

Palestinan protests at Columbia University. Trump said such protests made campuses unsafe for Jewish students.

The arrest of a Palestinian graduate student who represented anti-Israel protests at Columbia University marks a significant shift for the U.S. government, even from an administration that has prioritized cracking down on both immigration and campus anti-war protests.

Prominent New York City immigration activist Ravi Ragbir felt a sense of deja vu after learning of the detention on Saturday of a Palestinian student activist at Columbia University. Ragbir was taken into custody for deportation in 2018,

Palestinian activists of engaging in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.” A judge has temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation.

President Donald Trump has said the arrest of a Columbia University graduate for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests was “the first of many to come”, stoking fears of a clampdown on free speech and campus-based activism across the country.

A judge is slamming the brakes on the Trump administration's attempt to deport a pro-Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University's 2024 student encampment protests.