(Much) more of this, please
/
good riddance
ICE arrests Palestinian leader of Columbia’s anti-Israel protests, revoking student visa and green card
A Palestinian activist who led the disruptive anti-Israel protests at both Columbia University and Barnard College has been arrested by ICE agents at his campus apartment, according to his lawyer.
Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student who got his undergraduate degree in Beirut and completed his studies at Ivy League Columbia in December, also reportedly faces having his visa revoked and his green card canceled following President Trump’s crackdown on unrest at colleges.
He was inside his university-owned apartment a few blocks from campus Saturday night when ICE agents entered the residence and took him into custody, attorney Amy Greer told AP. [Question — if he is no longer a student, why was he permitted to remain in student housing?]
While a student, Khalil headed up student-run group Apartheid Divest, and was a lead negotiator during last spring’s protracted student protest on campus, in which dozens of tents jammed the lawn of the Morningside Heights campus.
He was also a political affairs officer with UNRWA — the United Nations’ agency that supports Palestinian refugees, which Israel says have been infilatred by Hamas — from June through November 2023, according to his LinkedIn.
Despite graduating months ago, Khalil has remained active in recent disruptive actions, including last week’s takeover of the Milstein Library at Barnard College. Videos and photographs posted on X depict him holding a bullhorn near the library entrance and engaged in discussion with school administrators.
As agents raided the apartment, the school put out a statement addressing the presence of agents in the vicinity of the campus, and stated its intention not to cooperate with ICE’s lawful actions except where required by law. [A bold, oh-so-brave stand that’s already cost the school $400 million, with more to come — well, to go*]
…. Last September, Khalil and his group were among those taking part in the Columbia campus takeover at the start of the school year. Local and state leaders, including Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the protests, calling on school officials to enforce disciplinary codes and impose “swift actions” to punish wrongdoers, a source told The Post at the time.
Khalil told a Post reporter during September’s raucous protests that anti-Israel student organizers were undeterred, and promised to ramp up their actions, including establishing future encampments.
The administration appears likely to pull more taxpayer funds from Columbia. The anti-Semitism task force is actively probing $5 billion worth of Columbia’s grants and contracts over the Ivy League institution’s "apparent failure" to protect Jewish students.
