Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump highlighted the arrest of a pro-Hamas student at Columbia University on Monday, vowing that his administration “will not tolerate” terrorism.
The president shared the message in a post to his Truth Social account on Monday.
“Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it,” Trump wrote.
“Many are not students, they are paid agitators. We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again. If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply. Thank you!” he added.
Mahmoud Khalil was taken into custody on Saturday at his university-owned apartment on the Upper West Side. He is reportedly a prominent anti-Israel activist arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to the arrest, issuing a strong warning to those supporting the Hamas terror group.
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio posted to X.
Khalil’s attorney Amy Greer released a statement following his arrest, according to Fox News.
“Last night ICE agents wrongfully arrested Mahmoud Khalil, claiming his student visa was revoked – even though Mahmoud is a legal permanent resident (green card) and not in the U.S. on a student visa,” Greer said. “Confronted with that fact, the ICE agents detained him anyway.”
“Currently, we do not know Mahmoud’s precise whereabouts. Initially, we were informed this morning that he had been transferred to an ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey,” Greer added.
“However, when his wife – a U.S. citizen who is eight months’ pregnant and was threatened with arrest as well by the ICE agents last night – tried to visit him there today, she was told he is not detained there.”