Demonstrators Continue To Take To New York Streets For Release Of Palestinian Student Mahmoud Khalil

NEW YORK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Mar, 2025) Hundreds of slogan-chanting demonstrators marched through New York City streets to demand the release of pro-Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, a US Green Card holder.

Mahmoud was arrested by immigration personnel on March 8 for his role in protests at Columbia University that condemned Israel for its genocidal war in Gaza and urged the United States to stop sending arms to the that country.

Raiding vociferous slogans in favour of Khalil, they demonstrated at several key points of New York City, including the iconic Times Square.

Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ) as he entered his apartment building, which is owned by Columbia University.

He was accompanied by his wife, who is a US citizen and is eight months pregnant and was threatened with deportation by ICE if she tried to prevent his arrest.

Khalil is also known for his role as a lead negotiator for the Gaza solidarity encampments that occurred last year on the Columbia University campus where he was a student.

His attorney Amy Greer told The New York Daily news, a mass circulation tabloid, that she spoke by phone during the arrest with one of the ICE agents, who said they were acting on State Department orders to revoke Khalil’s student visa.

Informed by the attorney that Khalil was in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that, too, according to the lawyer.

She said it was against the law for an ICE agent to seize a green card without going through proper legal channels. While an agent may confiscate the card during an arrest, or if a deportable offence is suspected, the actual revocation of a green card requires a formal legal process, typically involving an immigration judge or a hearing.

The arrest appeared to be among the first known actions under President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport international students who joined the protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that swept college campuses last spring. His administration has claimed participants forfeited their rights to remain in the country by supporting Hamas.

Khalil’s apprehension sparked widespread outrage, with activists accusing Columbia University of targeting the graduate student because of his Palestinian identity and activism, arguing it was a violation of his First Amendment right

Protesters called out the Trump administration for its suppression of freedom of speech despite the US boasting that it is a beacon of freedom.

Meanwhile, Murad Awandeh, head of the New York Immigration Coalition, said, "This is blatantly unconstitutional. What they are doing to Mahmoud, the message that they are trying to send, which is a deplorable one, is that no one is protected under free speech in this country anymore."

Miriam Osman of Palestinian Youth Movement Organizer, said, "We're here today with thousands of people from all across New York City to demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil and to say we're not going to be silent in the face of these heinous attacks.

"What Mahmoud was arrested for, at the heart of it, is speaking out against the genocide of the Palestinian people, and the reason that the Trump administration is so threatened by people actually speaking out for the side of justice is because the United States has been complicit from day one in the genocide of the Palestinian people."