ICE detains student who led anti-Israeli protests at Columbia after State Department revoked his visa

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained the student who led anti-Israeli protests at Columbia University. He was identified as Mahmoud Khalil, who was informed that the State Department had revoked both his visa and his green card, something that was later confirmed by Marco Rubio.

The arrest came just days after it was reported that the State Department would begin canceling the visas of foreign students who support terrorist groups, especially Hamas. Khalil is part of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a group that supports Hamas' "armed resistance."

Indeed, the Palestinian-born student was one of the CUAD leaders who organized the camps on campus. "And we’ve been working all this summer on our plans, on what’s next to pressure Columbia to listen to the students and to decide to be on the right side of history. We’re considering a wide range of actions throughout the semester, encampments and protests and all of that. But for us, encampment is now our new base," Khalil noted in August 2024.

As for Khalil's arrest, it took place Saturday night at his university apartment on orders from the State Department. The latest information places him in a detention center in Elizabeth, N.J.

The Secretary of State was quick to comment on the student's detention. "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported," the secretary of state posted on his X account, reacting to Khalil's news.

"This should serve as a warning to foreign students temporarily in the United States: under this administration, if you support terrorist groups, we will deport you," an official from the aforementioned Department added in dialogue with The Washington Free Beacon.