By Steve Neavling
The White House is backing the arrest of pro-Palestinian protest leader and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, saying the Department of Homeland Security plans to continue targeting demonstrators.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said Khalil’s arrest aligns with President Trump’s executive order cracking down on antisemitism on college campuses, NPR reports. The order allows the administration to revoke visas and deport international students deemed “pro-jihadist” or “Hamas sympathizers.”
“Since the President signed that executive order, and since Secretary [Kristi] Noem has taken the oath at DHS, they have been using intelligence to identify individuals on our nation’s colleges and universities, on our college campuses, who have engaged in such behavior and activity, and especially illegal activity,” Leavitt said.
She declined to say how many more arrests could be coming but added that “DHS is actively working on it.” Columbia University, she said, had been given names of individuals “who have engaged in pro-Hamas activity” but refused to assist DHS.
Leavitt’s comments echoed remarks from Trump, who on Monday said his administration “will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again.”
Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement Sunday, the university acknowledged reports of ICE officers near campus and said it “has and will continue to follow the law.”
“Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings,” the statement said. “Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community.”
Khalil, a green card holder of Palestinian descent, was set to graduate this spring. He was among the pro-Palestinian students who negotiated with Columbia officials last year as demonstrators protested Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and called for the university to divest from Israel.
He was arrested Saturday in his university-owned apartment by ICE agents and is now being held at the Jena/LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, La.
