**WASHINGTON**
Agents of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detained Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate who helped lead a pro-Palestinian encampment in April, at his university-owned residence in New York on Saturday night, according to his supporters.
The arrest follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent announcement that foreign nationals who express support for Hamas or other groups the administration designates “terrorist organizations” will face visa denial and deportation.
Khalil’s detention also comes amid an online campaign by pro-Israel groups calling for his removal. He was among the demonstrators at Barnard College this week protesting the expulsion of three pro-Palestinian students.
According to a statement from Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG), on Saturday evening Khalil and his wife, a US citizen who is eight months pregnant, had unlocked the entrance to their building when two plainclothes DHS agents forced their way in.
DHS agents initially claimed that the State Department had revoked Khalil’s student visa.
When his wife showed his green card to the agents, one was heard saying over the phone, “He has a green card,” according to the statement. The agents then claimed the State Department had revoked his green card as well.
Khalil's attorney tried to intervene by phone, requesting a copy of the warrant, but the agent allegedly hung up.
Khalil was transferred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the city, where he awaits to see an immigration judge.
Asked about Khalil’s case, a State Department spokesperson declined to comment on “individual visa cases,” saying that visa records are confidential under US law.
“In general, the Department has broad authority to revoke visas under Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). We exercise that authority when information comes to light at any time indicating that a visa holder may be inadmissible to the United States or otherwise ineligible for a visa,” the spokesperson told Anadolu.
The Department of Homeland Security and Columbia University have not yet responded to Anadolu’s request for comment.
Columbia was a focal point of last year’s campus encampments, leading to arrests and disciplinary actions against students. These actions have sparked concerns about free speech on American campuses.
On Wednesday, A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the Milstein Library in protest of the decision by Columbia University's Barnard College to expel a third student demonstrator for campus activism in support of Palestine.
The Trump administration on Friday canceled approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, citing the school’s alleged failure to address anti-Semitism amid pro-Palestine protests in its campuses.
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