ICE grabs anti-Israel activist who led Columbia University protest

It would appear that President Donald Trump isn’t just making idle threats when it comes to cleaning up America’s universities.

The president previously threatened to punish any college that allows “illegal protests” on their campuses and possibly lock up or deport “agitators.” Now, an anti-Israel ex-Columbia grad student has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mahmoud Khalil was taken into custody Saturday night, and his lawyer, Amy Greer, says agents involved in the operation were doing so as a result of a canceled student visa. She says that she informed the agents that he was a permanent resident of the U.S., at which point she claims they said his green card was being revoked.

The Homeland Security X account posted about the incident, which quickly garnered attention:

On March 9, 2025, in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student. Khalil led activities…

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 10, 2025

“On March 9, 2025, in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student. Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. ICE and the Department of State are committed to enforcing President Trump’s executive orders and to protecting U.S. national security,” the statement read.

As BizPac Review previously reported, Trump vowed to bring the hammer down on any university and/or student engaging in “illegal protests.”

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Trump puts STOP to federal funding for all schools that allow illegal protests, lays out HARSH rules https://t.co/s6yk2k0KRS via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) March 4, 2025

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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