➤ Last Saturday, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian who holds a US green card, was arrested by US immigration agents. His arrest has led to protests and raised questions about the US government’s efforts to silence people for their political opinions.
Last Saturday, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian who holds a US green card, was arrested by US immigration agents. His arrest has led to protests and raised questions about the US government’s efforts to silence people for their political opinions.
Mr. Khalil is a 30-year-old Palestinian who was born in Syria. He is married to an American, and he holds a US green card, meaning that he has the right to live and work in the US. He graduated from Columbia University in December.
Last year, Mr. Khalil took part in protests at Columbia over Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Mr. Khalil represented the protesters in talks with the university and with reporters, so his face was well-known.
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Last Saturday, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian who holds a US green card, was arrested by US immigration agents. His arrest has led to protests and raised questions about the US government’s efforts to silence people for their political opinions. Above, Mr. Khalil talking with reporters in June, 2024.
At the time, there were protests at many American colleges over Israel’s bombing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s attacks were in response to a brutal attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. But Israel’s continued bombing killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including many civilians.
The protests at Columbia and other US colleges led to complaints from some Jewish groups which felt that people who supported Palestinians must hate Jewish people. Donald Trump, who was running for president at the time, condemned the protests.
When Mr. Trump became president again in January, he promised to kick people who supported Hamas out of the country.
On Saturday, agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mr. Khalil as he was coming home from dinner with his wife, who is eight months pregnant. The agents did not say why they were arresting Mr. Khalil and they did not show any documents explaining why he was being arrested.
Mr. Khalil was taken to a holding center in Louisiana, around 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometers) away from his home. So far, the effort to deport him has been blocked by a judge.
Marco Rubio, who Mr. Trump has chosen to lead the US Department of State, said that Mr. Khalil was being deported because he was part of “activities aligned to Hamas”. It’s not clear exactly what this means, but the suggestion is that Mr. Khalil wasn’t just protesting Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, but was somehow supporting Hamas.
Mr. Khalil’s lawyers say he has not broken any laws. They point out that the US government must provide proof to deport someone. So far, the government has not provided any proof, or even said what crimes Mr. Khalil might have broken.
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The arrest of Mr. Khalil has led to protests in many cities across the US, including a large protest in New York (above). Many people are concerned that if Mr. Khalil can be arrested and possibly deported for his political beliefs, the same thing could happen to others – even American citizens.
Mr. Trump described the action as “the first arrest of many to come.”
The arrest of Mr. Khalil has led to protests in many cities across the US, including a large protest in New York.
Many people believe that Mr. Khalil’s arrest is an attempt by Mr. Trump and his government to silence people who hold different views. They are concerned that if Mr. Khalil can be arrested and possibly deported for his political beliefs, the same thing could happen to others – even American citizens.