A court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Manhattan federal court to challenge the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leaders of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University last year. The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil, who was arrested by ICE agents over the weekend.
Khalil, a Palestinian raised in Syria and a permanent U.S. resident, was taken into custody from his university-owned apartment on New York City’s Upper West Side on Saturday. According to his attorney, Amy Greer, ICE informed Khalil that his green card and student visa were being revoked. He was subsequently transferred to a detention center in Louisiana.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the arrest was made to protect U.S. national security, alleging that Khalil "led activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization." However, Khalil has not been charged with any crime, and the hearing will provide further details about the circumstances surrounding his arrest and the government’s justification for detaining him.
District Judge Jesse Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York will preside over the case, set to begin around 11:30 a.m. Khalil’s attorneys have filed motions arguing that ICE violated his constitutional rights and are seeking his return to New York. While Furman has the authority to order Khalil’s release, it remains unclear whether he will do so. He has, however, ordered that Khalil not be deported pending the court’s consideration of the legal challenge.
Khalil’s wife, an American citizen, is eight months pregnant, according to his lawyer. "We will vigorously pursue Mahmoud’s rights in court and continue our efforts to right this terrible and inexcusable — and calculated — wrong committed against him," Greer said.
Civil rights groups and Khalil’s attorneys argue that the government is unconstitutionally using its immigration enforcement powers to silence his speech. His detention has sparked protests in Manhattan this week.
Khalil, who served as a spokesperson for Columbia protesters, completed his master’s degree requirements in December. Born in Syria, he is the grandson of Palestinians who were displaced from their homeland. His lawyers and civil rights organizations claim the government is unlawfully retaliating against him for his activism.
Ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, a joint filing by Khalil’s lawyers and the government revealed that the government plans to argue that the Southern District of New York is not the proper venue for the case.
Khalil played a prominent role in the anti-Israel protests that rocked Columbia University last year. He met with university officials on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups pushing the university to divest from Israel, CNN reported.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration’s decision to arrest Khalil, claiming that he distributed pro-Hamas propaganda on campus. "This administration will not tolerate individuals who have the privilege of studying in our country and then side with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans," Leavitt said during a press briefing on Tuesday. She displayed what she described as "pro-Hamas propaganda fliers" allegedly distributed by Khalil. "We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period," she added.
Khalil’s immigration status will be determined in a separate process presided over by an immigration judge, who will decide whether to revoke his green card, according to The New York Times.
Meanwhile, ABC News reports that Khalil’s wife claims her husband "begged" Columbia University for legal support in an email sent one day before his arrest but received no response. "I haven’t been able to sleep, fearing that ICE or a dangerous individual might come to my home. I urgently need legal support, and I urge you to intervene," Khalil reportedly wrote in the email.
She also alleges that she was threatened with arrest when she refused to leave her husband’s side during his apprehension, claiming that ICE agents did not present a warrant.
Fox News’ Diana Stancy, Alexis McAdams, and Stepheny Price, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. You can send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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