Mahmoud Khalil Returns to Columbia, Credits Palestinian Activism for Shifting US Politics
The activist, arrested by ICE in 2025, says campus protests have changed public perception and boosted progressive candidates.
At a glance
- Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and pro-Palestinian activist, returned to campus Tuesday for the first time since his March 2025 ICE arrest.
- Khalil says Palestinian student advocacy has shifted US public perception and helped elect progressive candidates like Abdul El-Sayed and Zohran Mamdani.
- The Trump administration continues to seek Khalil's deportation despite his June 2025 release from immigration custody.
Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returned to Columbia University on Tuesday for the first time since his arrest by immigration authorities in March 2025, appearing at an event to discuss his new memoir, No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention. About 100 people attended the discussion, which Khalil described as a victory despite opposition from some Jewish groups on social media.
Khalil, a 31-year-old Columbia graduate, became a prominent figure in the 2024 campus protests that spread across the United States against Israel's war in Gaza. He was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on March 8, 2025, and held for three months without criminal charges, even though he holds permanent US residency. He was released on June 20, 2025, but the Trump administration continues to pursue his deportation.
In an interview with AFP, Khalil said the American public is finally viewing Palestinians as equal humans, crediting student advocacy for shifting perception and driving broader political change. He pointed to progressive candidates such as Dr Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for the US Senate in Michigan, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as evidence of that shift.
Khalil sharply criticized Columbia's leadership, accusing the university of seeking to erase Palestinian voices and choosing brutality by authorizing the New York Police Department to clear protesters. A university spokesperson responded that Columbia supports rigorous debate and that an invitation to speak does not constitute endorsement of a speaker's views.
Despite the ongoing legal battle, Khalil said his fight is about more than his own residency; it is about whether people in the United States can speak their minds. He expressed a desire to return to a normal life with his family, free from harassment.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why was Mahmoud Khalil arrested by ICE?
- He was arrested in March 2025 during a federal crackdown on foreign student activists and held for three months without criminal charge, despite holding permanent US residency.
- What does Khalil say about the impact of campus protests?
- He credits Palestinian student advocacy with changing public perception of Palestinians and contributing to the election of progressive candidates in the US.
- Is Khalil still facing deportation?
- Yes, the Trump administration continues to seek his deportation after his release from immigration custody in June 2025.
