Columbia University has been making headlines in recent days. In a significant development, US immigration agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student from the School of International and Public Affairs, at his university residence on March 8.
In an update, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the university is “refusing to help” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identify individuals on campus “who have engaged in pro-Hamas activity,” according to the Columbia Spectator.
“As the President strongly stated yesterday, he will not tolerate this, and we expect all American colleges and universities to comply with this administration’s policy,” Leavitt said, as reported by Columbia Spectator. She also mentioned that the DHS is using intelligence to identify individuals on college campuses involved in such activities.
When a reporter asked whether the Trump administration believes a green card holder must be charged with a crime to be eligible for deportation, Leavitt responded that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “reserves the right to revoke the visa of Mahmoud Khalil.” She cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the Secretary of State to revoke a green card or visa for individuals deemed adversarial to U.S. foreign policy and national security interests, reports Columbia Spectator.
Khalil, a US permanent resident (green card holder), was actively involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. According to Reuters, his arrest is part of President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on anti-Israel activists. Civil rights organizations have condemned his detention, calling it an attack on protected political speech.
His case marks one of the first actions in the Trump administration’s push to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, which the administration has classified as antisemitic.
In a separate but related move, the administration announced the immediate withdrawal of $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University due to its alleged failure to combat antisemitism. A joint statement from four federal agencies, as reported by the BBC, accused Columbia of showing “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
Meanwhile, tensions escalated at Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, where four students were arrested last week for causing a “disruption.” They have since been suspended and banned from campus.
As the controversy unfolds, student protests continue, with activists demanding Khalil’s release and calling for stronger protections for political expression on campus. University officials have yet to issue a formal response regarding Khalil’s arrest and the federal funding cuts, while legal experts debate the implications of the administration’s stance on immigration and campus activism.
