US lawmakers and civil rights organisations have criticised the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate who helped lead a pro-Palestinian encampment last April, at his university-owned residence in New York on Saturday night.
Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib decried the arrest as an assault on free speech on Monday.
"Free Mahmoud Khalil. This is straight out of the fascist playbook. Criminalising dissent is an assault on our First Amendment and freedom of speech," said Tlaib, who represents Michigan. "Revoking someone’s green card for expressing their political opinion is illegal. Protesting genocide is not a crime."
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that the arrest could set a dangerous precedent.
"If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too," Ocasio-Cortez posted on X, "Anyone - left, right, or center - who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now."
New York Attorney General Letitia James also voiced concern, calling the arrest "lawless".
"I am extremely concerned about the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an advocate and legal permanent resident of Palestinian descent. My office is monitoring the situation, and we are in contact with his attorney," she wrote on X.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the Department of Homeland Security’s actions, calling Khalil’s arrest a violation of free speech.
"The Department of Homeland Security's lawless decision to arrest him solely because of his peaceful anti-genocide activism represents a blatant attack on the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, immigration laws, and the very humanity of Palestinians. We and other civil rights groups are in communication with Mahmoud's legal counsel. This fight is just starting," said in a statement.
'Wrongfully arrested'
President Donald Trump on Monday defended the arrest of a Khalil, whom he described as a "foreign pro-Hamas student" and added that this is "the first arrest of many to come".
According to Khalil’s lawyer Amy Greer, he was "wrongfully arrested" by ICE agents who claimed his student visa was revoked — even though Mahmoud is a legal permanent resident (green card) and not in the US on a student visa.
"We will vigorously be pursuing Mahmoud's rights in court, and will continue our efforts to right this terrible and inexcusable – and calculated – wrong committed against him," Greer said in a statement.
She accused the US government of specifically targeting students at Columbia University for criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
"The US government has made clear that they will use immigration enforcement as a tool to suppress that speech," she said.
Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney said.
