Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University and high-profile pro-Palestine advocate, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his home on Mar. 12, 2025. According to ICE, Khalil’s green card was also revoked, threatening his legal status as a permanent resident of the United States. After the arrest, President Donald Trump said it would be the first “of many to come.” 

Civil rights groups criticized the arrest as suppressing First Amendment-protected free speech and demanded Khalil’s immediate release. Khalil is currently being held at a detention center in Louisiana, from where Trump said he would be deported. A judge halted further developments in the case.

The move is part of Trump’s larger crackdown on student protests, which he criticized as “anti-semitic,” although most student activists argue otherwise. Consequently, Trump withdrew $400 million in federal aid from Columbia University just days before the arrest, accusing the university of being tolerant of student hate speech. However, most students agree that Columbia has a relatively strict policy for pro-Palestine supporters, especially compared to most American universities.

These events occur as the U.S. continues to support Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have many similarities to a genocide, according to a U.N. Special Committee review.