Mahmoud Khalil was one of the leaders of the pro-Palestinian student demonstrations on the campus of Columbia University after the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and the deadly war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip that followed. On October 12, five days after the massacre that made 1,200 victims and at a time when Israeli strikes had already claimed the lives of several hundred people, he was photographed demonstrating in support of the Palestinians. Eighteen months later, the 30-year-old Syrian, whose grandfather was Palestinian, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday, March 8, at his New York home, handcuffed and taken to a holding center in Louisiana.
His arrest and possible deportation provoked one of the first emblematic mobilizations of Donald Trump’s term in office, prompting hundreds of people to publicly demonstrate in his favor. His case is the subject of legal proceedings, including a hearing held on Wednesday, March 12 in New York, but a decision will not be made for several days.
“We know there are more students at Columbia and other universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump administration will not tolerate,” attacked the United States President Donald Trump on Monday, March 10, in a message on social media. The case has stunned the US: Khalil, who holds a master’s degree in political studies, was the holder of a green card, a permanent residence permit, and is married to an American woman who is expecting a child. Yet the Trump administration wants to deport him, despite Khalil not having been charged with any offense.
You have 75.07% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
