Columbia Grad Detained Amid Protests; Trump Admin Cuts University Funds

Amid ongoing legal disputes, Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent anti-Israel activist and Columbia University graduate, remains detained in Louisiana under the administration’s policies, facing deportation. Khalil, who recently completed his master’s degree requirements at Columbia, is currently kept in a detention center awaiting further legal proceedings.

The matter was addressed during a hearing presided over by U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman. As reported by The Associated Press, the judge instructed that Khalil’s legal representatives must be allowed private phone communications with him. Both Khalil’s defense and the prosecution are expected to submit a joint letter by Friday detailing their plans for written arguments concerning the case’s legal aspects.

Khalil, who holds a green card and hails from Syria, was absent from the hearing and remains in the Louisiana detention facility, having initially been held in New Jersey. The hearing centered primarily on jurisdictional considerations, with Khalil’s attorneys advocating for his supervised release and return to New York.

Khalil’s arrest was part of a broader initiative by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), executed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State. This action supports President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at combating anti-Semitism. The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest, citing Khalil’s leadership in activities associated with Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization.

The news of Khalil’s detention prompted a response from several Columbia University faculty members, who canceled classes in solidarity. According to emails shared by The Washington Free Beacon, professors including Joseph Albernaz and Ruairidh MacLeod expressed their disapproval, with Albernaz offering students an automatic “A” on a midterm exam.

These campus protests form part of a larger movement that has seen similar demonstrations nationwide, opposing Israel’s military actions against Hamas. Columbia University has been a focal point for such activism, with student encampments and reports of antisemitic incidents creating tension on campus.

Despite the arrest of over 2,000 activists, Khalil has vowed that student protests will persist through any means necessary to pressure Columbia University to divest from Israel. This includes both conventional protests and unconventional methods of maintaining their activism.

Footage shared by Canary Mission, an organization dedicated to exposing antisemitism, depicts Khalil participating in a takeover of a Barnard College library. During the protest, activists distributed materials from the “Hamas Media Office,” justifying the group’s violent actions on October 7, 2023.

In reaction to these events, the Trump administration recently revoked approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing the unaddressed anti-Israel demonstrations and harassment of Jewish students. President Trump previously warned that federal funding would cease for institutions allowing “illegal protests” and that foreign nationals leading such protests would face deportation.

For any inquiries, The Christian Post reached out to Columbia University but did not receive an immediate response regarding the faculty’s actions.