As protesters gathered in large numbers through Lower Manhattan on Tuesday to show their disapproval over the arrest of a well-known pro-Palestinian activist linked to Columbia University, the White House stood by the decision to detain him and criticized the university for refusing to work with federal authorities.
Mahmoud Khalil, the man at the center of the issue, had been a leading figure during student protests at Columbia and often acted as the group’s spokesperson and mediator.
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The 30-year-old, who is Palestinian and spent his early life in Syria, holds legal permanent residency in the U.S. and is married to a U.S. citizen. On Saturday, he was taken into custody and moved to a detention center in Louisiana.
White House Response and Legal Details
Speaking on behalf of President Trump, Karoline Leavitt informed journalists on Tuesday that the administration had legal rights under the Immigration and Nationality Act to withdraw Mr. Khalil’s green card.
She claimed that Khalil was the one who led group protests which interrupted normal campus activity, made Jewish students feel threatened, and spread materials containing Hamas logos and messages supporting the group.
This statement followed President Trump’s remarks from a day earlier, where he declared that Khalil’s arrest would be the beginning of several others to follow.
Though his arrest drew criticism from some civil rights groups and advocates for free speech, who questioned whether his detention was lawful, Khalil’s attorneys have filed legal challenges. Several Democrats in New York also raised concerns on Tuesday.
But Mayor Eric Adams refused to go into details during a press event at City Hall, stressing that the matter fell under federal responsibility and not city authority.
Although it is not common for the government to attempt deporting someone with permanent residency who has not been formally charged with or convicted of any criminal offense, a federal judge in Manhattan blocked the government on Monday from removing Khalil while legal proceedings are ongoing.
Columbia’s Role and Federal Pressure
According to Ms. Leavitt, the Department of Homeland Security had asked Columbia University to help identify others reportedly involved in what she described as pro-Hamas activity. She stated that the school received the names but failed to offer any assistance.
On the university’s side, interim president Katrina Armstrong issued a letter on Monday, saying that Columbia would follow legal guidelines. She also stated that the university did not invite immigration agents to campus. A spokesperson for the school did not issue additional comments on Tuesday following Leavitt’s claims.
In response to questions about the arrest, both Mayor Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul chose not to take clear sides. Adams emphasized that immigration issues were completely managed by the federal government.
He said during a press conference, “Let me be as clear as I can. Matters concerning immigration belong to federal authorities.”
Adams has mostly stayed away from criticizing President Trump, even though the Trump-led Justice Department is pushing for a dismissal of Adams’s own legal troubles.
During the same session, Adams expressed frustration with reporters who repeatedly asked about Khalil’s arrest.
He responded, “What surprises me is how much concern you all are showing about this case, yet that same concern was missing when I was being targeted,” making reference to the five criminal charges currently hanging over him.
About one year earlier, Adams had sent police in riot gear onto Columbia’s campus, where more than 100 demonstrators in support of Palestine were arrested.
Reactions from Albany and Beyond
While speaking in Albany, Governor Hochul told reporters she didn’t yet have enough facts to determine whether the arrest of Khalil was justified. She explained that immigration enforcement should be targeted at those who actually commit crimes.
“I don’t know all the details,” she said. “But in New York, unlike the president, we actually believe in following the rule of law. So I’ll wait for the judge’s decision.”
Several Democratic officials from New York were more outspoken. State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins described Khalil’s detention as “chilling,” saying that people should be worried if someone can suddenly be sent to another state without warning.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York also shared his view on social media. While he admitted that he strongly disagrees with many of Khalil’s ideas and beliefs, he said the federal government should make it clear whether Khalil is actually being charged with a crime.
“If the administration cannot show that he broke any laws and is instead taking such harsh action because of what he thinks or says, then that is wrong,” Schumer wrote.
Protest March in Manhattan
As the protests continued, hundreds gathered Tuesday afternoon in Washington Square Park before marching toward City Hall to speak out against Khalil’s arrest.
People in the crowd carried banners and signs that said “Free Khalil” and shouted chants such as “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA.” Overhead, helicopters from the police department hovered and monitored the scene.
Around 4:30 p.m., police arrested nearly a dozen protesters. One of them shouted, “Free, free Palestine” while officers were placing him in a police vehicle.
Among the demonstrators was Nathan Gibbs, a Columbia graduate from the class of 2017 who now works as a fitness coach. He said he felt that Khalil’s arrest was a direct attack on freedom of expression. “This was a highly provocative move,” Gibbs said.
