Trump Lauds Ice Detainment Of Palestinian Activist Who Helped Lead Columbia University Protests

President Donald Trump touted the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend — signaling a larger campaign to punish anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.

“This is the first arrest of many to come,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday, linking Khalil’s detainment to his previously signed executive orders to combat antisemitism on college campuses.

He added: “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. … We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again.”

Khalil, a permanent resident originally from Syria, was arrested at his university-owned residence on Saturday night, according to a statement his attorney Amy Greer made to The Associated Press. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest in a statement posted to X, saying Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”

Amy Greer did not immediately return POLITICO’s request for comment through her law firm, Dratel & Lewis.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed DHS’ stance, saying on X that the Trump administration would be “revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

The Trump administration’s legal argument for Khalil’s detainment and possible deportation is unclear. Federal immigration law allows green cards to be revoked for various criminal offenses, including those involving “moral turpitude” and for anyone who “engages in terrorism-related activity.”

White House border czar Tom Homan said on Monday the U.S. has the authority to deport Khalil.

“Absolutely we can,” Homan said during an appearance on Fox Business when asked whether a green card holder like Khalil could face deportation. “Did he violate the terms of his visa? Did he violate the terms of his residency? Committing crimes, attacking Israeli students, locking down buildings, destroying property — absolutely any resident alien that commits a crime is eligible for deportation.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James criticized Khalil's detainment in a post to X on Monday afternoon.

"I am extremely concerned about the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an advocate and legal permanent resident of Palestinian descent," James wrote. "My office is monitoring the situation, and we are in contact with his attorney."

Trump framed Khalil’s case as part of a broader effort to crack down on foreign students involved in anti-Israel protests.

“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,” Trump wrote. “We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply.”

Khalil was a leading student organizer in Columbia’s pro-Palestinian protests last year, serving as a negotiator between students and university officials. His detainment follows the Trump administration announcing it was freezing $400 million in federal funding for Columbia over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests and antisemitism on campus.