On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and notable member of the 2024 Columbia Palestinian encampments, was arrested.
That night, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took Khalil into custody on orders from the State Department. The State mandated that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement remove Khalil’s student visa, along with his green card.
Many other Columbia students were also brought under investigation, however, Khalil was most prominent due to his heavy involvement in the encampments as a negotiator between the students and the school.
Earlier, on March 7, President Donald Trump announced $400 million would be cut in grants and contracts due to the school’s “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,” according to a press release. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted, after Khalil’s arrest, that visas or green cards of Hamas supporters shall be deported.
