Pro-Palestinian demonstrator Mahmoud Khalil, second from left, debates with a pro-Israel demonstrator during a protest at Columbia University, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)2025-03-10T16:24:14Z NEW YORK (AP) A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead protests at Columbia University is facing deportation following his arrest by federal immigration agents over the weekend.Mahmoud Khalil, who graduated from the university in December, was arrested Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest, saying it was a result of President Donald Trumps executive orders prohibiting antisemitism. He has not been formally charged with a crime. Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file) Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Khalils lawyer, Amy Greer, said the agents who took him into custody at his university-owned home near Columbia initially claimed to be acting on a State Department order to revoke his student visa. But when Greer informed them that Khalil was a permanent resident with a green card, they said they would revoke that documentation instead. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil rights advocacy group, said Monday that it is working with Khalils lawyer and called for his immediate release. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of our nation who has not been charged with or convicted of a single crime, the Washington-based group said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Securitys lawless decision to arrest him solely because of his peaceful anti-genocide activism represents a blatant attack on the First Amendments guarantee of free speech, immigration laws, and the very humanity of Palestinians. Federal immigration authorities also visited a second international student at Columbia over the weekend and attempted to take her into custody but were prevented from entering the apartment, according to a union representing the student. The woman has not been identified, and its not clear what grounds ICE had for the visit.According to the Student Workers of Columbia, a graduate student union representing the woman, three ICE agents visited her university-owned residence Friday night and attempted to enter without a warrant.The agents were rightfully turned away at the door, the student union said.Over the weekend, the university circulated guidance to students about its policies for allowing federal authorities on campus. The guidance states that in general, ICE agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas, including housing.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a message posted Sunday on X that the administration will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.Khalils arrest is the first publicly known deportation effort under Trumps promised crackdown on students protesting the war in Gaza. Members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group, including Sueda Polat, second from left, and Mahmoud Khalil, center, are surrounded by members of the media outside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group, including Sueda Polat, second from left, and Mahmoud Khalil, center, are surrounded by members of the media outside the Columbia University campus, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Republican president has argued that protesters forfeited their rights to remain in the country by supporting the Palestinian group Hamas that controls Gaza. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization.Khalil and other student leaders of Columbia University Apartheid Divest have rejected claims of antisemitism, saying they are part of a broader anti-war movement that also counts Jewish students and groups among its members. But the divestment group, at times, has also voiced support for leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, another Islamist organization designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group.Khalil is currently being held in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after initially being sent to a facility in New Jersey, according to ICEs online detainee database, which lists his birthplace as Syria.Its unclear when he will have a hearing in immigration court, which is typically the first step in the deportation process. Spokespersons for ICE and DHS did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday.Columbia University declined to comment on Khalils arrest over the weekend. University spokespersons did not immediately respond Monday.A protest was scheduled for later Monday in front of ICEs offices in Manhattan.Khalil was one of the most visible activists in last years protests, serving as a negotiator for students who erected a tent encampment on campus. Pro-Israel activists in recent weeks have called on the Trump administration to begin deportation proceedings against him. Mahmoud Khalil, center right, listens as members of the student protest negotiation team speak during a press conference near the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at the Columbia University, Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) Mahmoud Khalil, center right, listens as members of the student protest negotiation team speak during a press conference near the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at the Columbia University, Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Khalil was also among those being investigated by a new Columbia office that has already brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students for their pro-Palestinian activism, according to records shared with The Associated Press.Khalil received a masters degree from Columbias school of international affairs last semester. His wife, who is an American citizen, is eight months pregnant.Meanwhile, the Trump administration last week pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia because of what it claimed was the Ivy League schools failure to reign in antisemitism on campus. JAKE OFFENHARTZ Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press. twitter mailto CEDAR ATTANASIO Attanasio covers New York City for The Associated Press with a focus on immigration and the ocean. He uses remote sensing to support the APs global coverage. twitter instagram facebook mailto PHILIP MARCELO Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration. twitter mailto