With the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility’s shadow looming in the background, supporters for Mahmoud Khalil, 30, began to trickle into Foley Square yesterday waving banners and donning keffiyehs and masks. 

The protest was called in response to the detention of Khalil, who graduated from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in December and emerged as a lead negotiator during pro-Palestine protests as recently as last week and at the April Gaza solidarity encampments on Columbia University’s campus. He was returning from an iftar meal on Saturday night when he was detained by federal immigration officials in the hallway of his university-owned student building. His wife, who is eight months pregnant and a U.S. citizen, was present. A federal judge blocked his deportation for now, but he has been sent to a detention facility in Louisiana as part of a promised crackdown on alleged “agitators” protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. 

Trump recently signed executive orders that crack down on pro-Palestine protest, calling for the visas of international students and visitors who partake in protests critical of Israel to be revoked. Khalil is a permanent legal resident who has a green card. His detention has been widely denounced as a threat to the free speech rights of anyone who falls out of favor with the Trump administration. Many are calling it an abduction.

As the minutes passed yesterday afternoon, over a thousand protesters flooded the plaza with dozens of police watching over them from all directions. 

Nas Issa, 27, is a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement and a former undergraduate student at Columbia University who graduated in 2020 and was part of the alumni group supporting the campus movement for Gaza. 

“It’s a really strong show of support,” Issa said. “It’s really heartening to see this many New Yorkers come out to support Mahmoud against this repression.” 

The detention of a permanent U.S. resident aims to have a chilling effect on college campuses. Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that Khalil’s arrest is “the first arrest of many to come.” 

“It begs the question, who will be next?” said Stella, who declined to give her last name due to fear of retaliation. 

The arrest follows the Trump Administration canceling $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia on Friday due to the school’s alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. Pro-Palestine students and faculty say the university has done little to protect them and much to combat antisemitism (which, defined by its Task Force on Antisemitism, includes critique of Israel).

Among the speakers at the protest was Ravi Ragbir, who directs the New Sanctuary Coalition. As a prominent immigrant’s rights advocate, he was detained in 2018 because of his activism and was at risk of being deported before a federal court ruled that he could not be punished for expressing views the government disliked. At the time, he was a green card holder for over 15 years. 

“It evokes a lot of anger and sadness,” Ragbir said. 

New York City Councilmember Alexa Avilés (D-Sunset Park), who chairs the Committee on Immigration, said Khalil’s detention was a part of a larger wave of repression. 

“Someone just asked me why the flags are half-mast, and the only thing that could come to my mind is the death of democracy,” Avilés said in her speech. 

After news of Khalil’s arrest spread, more than a million people signed a petition on his behalf.

“He’s not going to be disappeared in silence,” Issa said. 

After rallying at Foley Square, protesters made their way to Union Square, where the action dispersed. Two protesters were arrested. 

There were additional actions led by university students across the city today demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil in response to a call from National Students for Justice in Palestine. These included a student sit-in at Columbia, a walk-out at CUNY’s Hunter College, and a protest and march that began at Washington Square Park at 2 p.m. When the demonstration made it to City Hall, at least ten protesters were arrested.

Amba Guerguerian and Neil Constantine contributed reporting.

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