Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is demanding immediate answers regarding the immigration arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist, calling it a violation of constitutional rights.
Taking to X, Ocasio-Cortez criticized the Trump administration’s role in the arrest and took particular offense at Katie Miller, the wife of longtime Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who praised the move as “Law Enforcement enforcing the rule of law.”
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“Violating the rule of law, actually,” Ocasio-Cortez fired back. “You are shredding the Constitution of the United States to go after political enemies. Seizing a person without reason or warrant and denying them access to their lawyer is un-American and tyrannical. Anyone celebrating this should be ashamed.”
Khalil, a lawful permanent resident of the United States and husband to a U.S. citizen pregnant with his child was a prominent figure in the controversial anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. Protesters occupied and camped on university grounds, demanding divestment from weapons manufacturers and companies linked to Israel.
While some protesters were arrested for occupying a campus building, many charges were later dismissed, and Khalil himself has not been charged with any crime. Despite this, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Khalil at his home, reportedly threatening his wife.
Officials initially claimed he had violated his student visa, but when his lawyer pointed out that he is a green card holder and not on a student visa, ICE then claimed his green card had been revoked. Khalil has since been transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, notorious for inhumane treatment of detainees.
The American Civil Liberties Union has documented reports of “restrictive five-point shackles and prolonged solitary confinement … physical assault, sexual abuse, and denial of prescribed medications” at the facility. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has launched a campaign urging Congress to demand Khalil’s release.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s lawless decision to arrest him solely because of his peaceful anti-genocide activism represents a blatant attack on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, immigration laws, and the very humanity of Palestinians,” CAIR stated. Trump himself confirmed he ordered Khalil’s arrest, posting on Truth Social, “This is the first arrest of many to come.”
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“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 declared.
This move follows Trump’s recent decision to strip Columbia University of $400 million in federal grants, citing its failure to protect Jewish students from protesters. The developments underscore the administration’s increasingly aggressive stance toward pro-Palestinian activists and the broader implications for free speech and civil rights in the U.S.
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