Nationwide protests are planned this weekend after Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student activist, was arrested by immigration authorities, fueling tensions between the Trump administration and student movements over immigration policy.
Khalil, 30, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the middle of the night last weekend, prompting outrage in recent days. Khalil, a Palestinian, helped lead pro-Palestinian demonstrations against the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas at Columbia University last spring.
Protests calling for his release will be held in cities including New York City, Boston, Phoenix, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Miami and Indianapolis on Saturday and Sunday.
The Trump administration has cited an obscure foreign-policy clause in immigration law to justify Khalil’s arrest, which allows the federal government to deport foreign nationals who deemed national security threats. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
Civil rights groups and protestors have denounced his arrest as an infringement on free speech.Khalil’s arrest marks the first fulfilled promise of President Trump’s campaign pledge to deport international student protestors who sided with Palestinians on campuses across the country last spring. Another Palestinian student who took part in Columbia’s protests last year was arrested on Friday for overstaying her student visa, according to DHS.
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