**Palestinian Student Activist Faces Deportation**
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student activist, is facing deportation from the US. His arrest by immigration agents coincided with President Donald Trump‘s pledge to crack down on student protesters he accuses of “un-American activities”.
Khalil was born in Syria to Palestinian refugees. He has worked in the UK and Syria, but moved to the US in 2022 to study at Columbia University. His lawyers claim he was exercising his free speech rights by demonstrating in support of Palestinians living in Gaza and against US backing for Israel.
The Trump administration claims that Khalil supports Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US. They say he must be deported, but a federal court has blocked his deportation pending a hearing on Wednesday.
Khalil’s lawyers accuse the government of “open repression of political speech and student activism”. No criminal charges have been brought against him, and he is currently being held in Louisiana.
**Protests Erupt Over Khalil’s Arrest**
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil has sparked protests in New York City. Hundreds gathered in Manhattan on Monday to demonstrate against his deportation. The New York Civil Liberties Union called the attempted deportation a “targeted revenge and an extreme assault on the First Amendment”.
The American Civil Liberties Union described the arrest as “unprecedented” and said it was designed to intimidate and dampen speech on one side of a public debate.
**Background**
Khalil was involved in protests at Columbia University, where he mediated between university officials, activists, and students. The Trump administration has cut $400m from funding to the university for its “continued inaction” in response to “persistent harassment of Jewish Students”.
Legal experts say that green card holders may be deported for national security reasons, but the case against Khalil is unprecedented.