Dozens of activists continued protests outside Columbia University Friday, calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, who remains in a Louisiana detention center.

The Trump administration says Khalil’s green card was revoked for his role in pro-Palestinian protests on campus last spring, when he was a graduate student.


What You Need To Know

  • Dozens of activists continued protests outside Columbia University Friday, calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, who remains in a Louisiana detention center

  • Khalil’s legal team announced they filed an emergency bail motion due to what his attorneys say are extraordinary circumstances, including the stress put on his pregnant wife

  • Video was made public by the American Civil Liberties Union, showing agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arresting Khalil last Saturday at the home he shares with his wife

“Even though he is the first one who’s been picked up by ICE, he is genuinely fearful what’s happened to him will happen to others,” Amy Greer, one of Khalil’s attorneys, said.

Greer said Friday the escalation of online attacks, in which protesters and ICE are being tagged in the same social media post, has her client very worried about the safety of other student protesters.

Khalil’s legal team also announced Friday they filed an emergency bail motion due to what his attorneys say are extraordinary circumstances, including the stress put on his pregnant wife and the possibility of starting immigration court proceedings in Louisiana.

Video was made public Friday by the American Civil Liberties Union, showing agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arresting Khalil last Saturday at the home he shares with his wife.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is now investigating whether students and others involved in pro-Palestinian protests last spring at Columbia violated federal anti-terrorism laws.

“We are also looking at whether Columbia’s handling of earlier incidents violated civil rights laws and included terrorism crimes. This is long overdue,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

The Department of Homeland Security said Friday a student from India decided to leave the country on her own, after the State Department revoked her visa for alleged involvement in activities that support Hamas.