US President Donald Trump’s fight with elite American universities was only a few days old when federal immigration agents arrested the Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil at his Columbia University apartment building in New York in March. Over the more than three months he was held at a jail for immigrants in rural Louisiana, the…
Detained Columbia graduate claims ‘irreparable harm’ to career and family as he pleads for release NEW YORK: A Columbia graduate facing deportation over his pro-Palestinian activism on campus has outlined the “irreparable harm” caused by his continued detention as a federal judge weighs his release. Mahmoud Khalil said in court filings unsealed Thursday that the…
Noor Abdalla, the wife of jailed Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, has announced the birth of their son. On Monday evening, Noor released an statement saying, “I welcomed our son into the world earlier today without Mahmoud by my side. Despite our request for ICE to allow Mahmoud to attend the birth,…
Noor Abdalla, the wife of jailed Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, has announced the birth of their son. On Monday evening, Noor released an statement saying, “I welcomed our son into the world earlier today without Mahmoud by my side. Despite our request for ICE to allow Mahmoud to attend the birth,…
An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled on Friday that Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be deported from the US, citing national security risk linked to his participation in pro-Palestinian campus protests. Immigration Judge Jamee E Comans stated that the US government provided “clear and convincing evidence” that Khalil’s presence in the country could…
Hundreds of people gather on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Somerville, Mass. to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) Individuals with connections to American universities, many of whom have supported pro-Palestinian causes, have been detained as part of…
Groups representing Columbia University professors on Tuesday sued the Trump administration over its effort to force the university to tighten rules on campus protests and put a Middle Eastern studies department under outside oversight, among other measures, by canceling $400 million in federal funding and threatening to withhold billions more in the future. “This action…
The U.S. government has alleged that Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian demonstrator Mahmoud Khalil withheld that he worked for a United Nations Palestinian relief agency in his visa application, saying that should be grounds for deportation. The U.N. agency known as UNRWA provides food and healthcare to Palestinian refugees and has become a flashpoint in…
FILE (Dave Sanders/The New York Times) Columbia University has been at the center of controversy over the past week, following its announcement of disciplinary actions against students who occupied a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring. According to Reuters, the university has imposed a range of punishments, including multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and…
A group of protesters occupied the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday, demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist. The protest was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a anti-war group that opposes the US government’s actions in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The demonstrators were dressed in red shirts…