Protesters call for release of activist Mahmoud Khalil at Times Square rally
Protesters rallied in Times Square on Saturday to call for the release of activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on March 8.
His attorney says officials, who took Khalil into custody at his university-owned apartment, were acting on a State Department order to revoke Khalil's student visa and green card.
The Trump administration has accused Khalil, who helped lead pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University last year, of leading "activities aligned with Hamas."
Khalil is currently being held at an ICE detention center in Louisiana.
Protests continue across NYC after arrest of Mahmoud Khalil
Saturday, dozens of demonstrators marched from Times Square through New York City streets to Columbus Circle.
Supporters argue Khalil's speech and right to protest is protected under the First Amendment.
"Trump and his administration are attempting to frame the brave and just acts of Mahmoud [Khalil] as a crime. But it is not a crime to speak out against genocide, and it is not a crime to organize your community in support of the Palestinians who are facing said genocide," one protester said.
Protests have been taking place across the city in the week since Khalil's arrest, including a sit-in at Trump Tower that ended with nearly 100 arrests.
Some, however, say they fear taking part in demonstrations or speaking out as President Trump promises Khalil's arrest is "the first of many to come."
Earlier this week, a Palestinian woman was arrested for staying in the United States for three years after her student visa expired, the Department of Homeland Security said. Columbia University said it had no record of her being a student there, but DHS officials said she had been arrested last year for her involvement in pro-Palestinian protests at the school.
Meanwhile, a Columbia University student who DHS officials say had her visa revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas self-deported.
