# Mahmoud Khalil (activist)

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Mahmoud Khalil (born 1995) is a Syrian-born Palestinian activist and graduate of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). He gained prominence for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests on campus, particularly during the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in April 2024, where he served as a lead negotiator between student activists and university administration. On March 8, 2025, ICE agents arrested Khalil following President Donald Trump's executive orders, which the DHS described as "prohibiting antisemitism", and alleging that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization".

## Early life and career

Mahmoud Khalil was born in a Syrian refugee camp in 1995 and is a citizen of Algeria. He completed his undergraduate studies in Beirut before enrolling at Columbia University’s SIPA, where he earned his master's degree in December 2024.
Between June and November 2023, Khalil worked as a political affairs officer with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in New York.

### Campus activism

Following the onset of the Gaza war, Khalil became involved in pro-Palestinian activism, particularly on Columbia University’s campus.
During the 2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupations, he was asked by Columbia University Apartheid Divest to lead discussions with university administrators. Khalil did not participate in the encampments themselves beyond speaking to protestors and giving media interviews. Following the arrests of several hundred students and non-students who had barricaded themselves inside the university's Hamilton Hall, Khalil — who did not participate — says the university took steps to suspend him but ultimately elected not to move forward due to a lack of evidence to support disciplinary action.
In early 2025, Shai Davidai, a Columbia professor who had previously been banned from campus for harassment, posted to X appeals for ICE to take "strong action" against Khalil, whom he called a "terrorist supporter". Khalil attributed death threats he subsequently received to some of Davidai's comments. According to Zeteo, Khalil also reported to Columbia officials incendiary statements that he said had been falsely attributed to him. Zeteo reported that those included a "threatening post by the pro-Israel organization Betar in January", in which the group claimed "that he said, 'Zionists don’t deserve to live' – a statement Khalil 'unequivocally' denied making".

## Arrest and detention

After Khalil attended a protest at Barnard College in early March 2025, Ross Glick, a pro-Israel activist, met with aides to United States Senator John Fetterman and Ted Cruz to discuss Khalil. According to Glick, aides to Cruz and Fetterman promised to "escalate" attention to Khalil to their respective senators.
On March 8, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Khalil at his university-owned apartment in Manhattan. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the arrest was conducted "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism", alleging that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization". Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, reported that ICE agents initially claimed to be revoking his student visa; upon learning of his permanent resident status, they said his green card was being revoked instead. After the arrest, according to The Forward, the White House "taunted" Khalil on X, posting "Shalom Mahmoud".
Khalil's wife, a U.S. citizen who was eight months pregnant, was present at his arrest and was reportedly threatened with arrest by the agents. Although Khalil was initially believed to be held at an immigration facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, his wife was informed he was not at that location when she attempted to visit.
As of March 10, according to the ICE inmate locator website, Khalil appears to be in LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana.
On March 10, Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York, responding to a petition under the All Writs Act filed by Khalil's attorney, ordered that Khalil "shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise", setting a habeas corpus hearing for March 12.

### Reactions

Khalil's arrest has been criticized by groups such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the American Civil Liberties Union, the First Amendment Coalition, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Writers Against the War on Gaza; and individuals including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Michael Thaddeus, Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander, Pramila Jayapal, Ben Burgis, Katherine Franke, Jameel Jaffer, Charlie Pierce, and Ann Coulter. Attorney General of New York Letitia James said she was "extremely concerned about the arrest" and her office was "monitoring the situation". After Khalil's arrest, demonstrations protesting his detention were held in New York City and an online petition calling for his release received nearly two million signatures.
A number of Jewish groups indicated concern or opposition to Khalil's arrest, including J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, IfNotNow, and Bend the Arc. These concerns were echoed by several Jewish individuals, including David Grossman, Jerry Nadler, Marianne Hirsch, Jonathan Jacoby, Erwin Chemerinsky, and Jill Stein.
The Anti-Defamation League and Betar US celebrated the arrest. The Trump administration defended the action, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing plans to revoke more people's visas or green cards.
This incident occurred in the context of heightened federal scrutiny of Columbia University. The administration had recently canceled approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia, citing an alleged failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment on campus. Columbia University has said that it is reviewing the government's actions and remains committed to combating antisemitism while ensuring the safety and well-being of its community.