Federal migration agents did not person a warrant erstwhile they arrested anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil past period and defended their actions successful caller tribunal documents, saying the apprehension was legal.
Khalil, 1 of the ringleaders of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University past twelvemonth who the Trump medication is trying to deport, was arrested astir six weeks agone from his university-owned flat successful New York City with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is portion of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), telling him they were revoking his greenish paper and pupil visa, according to Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer. He was past taken to a Louisiana detention center.
Documents entered successful a New Jersey tribunal connected Thursday uncover a lawyer for Homeland Security wrote that erstwhile agents confronted Khalil connected March 8 and asked him to cooperate portion they tried to verify his identity, Khalil "stated that helium would not cooperate and that helium was going to permission the scene," the lawyer wrote.

Mahmoud Khalil, left, and protesters, right. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, left, Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, right.)
COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTER MAHMOUD KHALIL CAN BE DEPORTED, JUDGE RULES
The Homeland Security supervisory cause astatine that constituent "believed determination was a formation hazard and apprehension was necessary," helium said.
Lawyers for Khalil disputed the government’s relationship of the concern and said Khalil’s woman went into their flat to retrieve his Green Card lone for the agents to apprehension him. Khalil is simply a Palestinian raised successful Syria and a imperishable U.S. resident. Khalil’s attorneys argued that the Trump medication has shown nary grounds that helium refused to cooperate with agents during his arrest.
Greer, who was connected the telephone with Khalil and the arresting cause connected the nighttime of the arrest, said Khalil remained calm and complied with orders adjacent arsenic agents failed to amusement an apprehension warrant. His lawyers accidental video released by Khalil's woman shows helium remained cooperative.
"Today, we present cognize wherefore they ne'er showed Mahmoud that warrant — they didn’t person one. This is intelligibly yet different hopeless effort by the Trump medication to warrant its unlawful apprehension and detention of quality rights defender Mahmoud Khalil, who is now, by the government’s ain tacit admission, a governmental captive of the United States," Greer said.

Columbia University pupil Mahmoud Khalil talks to the property during the property briefing organized by pro-Palestinian protesters who acceptable up a caller encampment astatine Columbia University's Morningside Heights field connected Friday evening, successful New York City, United States connected June 1, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The Department of Homeland Security said antecedently that it conducted the apprehension to support U.S. nationalist information and claimed that Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated violent organization."
Khalil played a major relation successful the protests against Israel which rocked Columbia University past year, and helium met with assemblage officials connected behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a radical of pupil groups urging the assemblage to divest from Israel, according to CNN. Khalil, who acted arsenic a spokesperson for Columbia protesters, has not been charged with a crime.
An migration judge has already ruled that Mahmoud Khalil tin beryllium deported from the U.S. owed to his engagement successful the protests astatine Columbia University, saying that the U.S. authorities met its load of impervious to region him. Khalil’s attorneys are appealing that decision.
Marc Van Der Hout, a lawyer for Khalil, said successful a property merchandise enactment retired by the American Civil Liberties Union that agents told Khalil erstwhile helium was taken into custody that they had an apprehension warrant and his lawyers lone learned this week with the caller authorities filing that determination was none.
"The government’s admittance is astounding, and it is wholly outrageous that they tried to asseverate to the migration justice — and the satellite — successful their archetypal filing of the apprehension study that determination was an apprehension warrant erstwhile determination was none," Van Der Hout said. "This is egregious behaviour by DHS that should require, nether the law, termination of these proceedings and we anticipation that the migration tribunal volition truthful rule."
Khalil finished his requirements for a Columbia master’s grade successful December. Born successful Syria, helium is simply a grandson of Palestinians who were forced to permission their homeland, his lawyers said successful a ineligible filing.
His wife, who is simply a U.S. citizen, gave commencement to the couple’s kid this week. Khalil requested a impermanent merchandise to be the commencement but ICE denied those appeals, resulting successful him missing the event.

Demonstrators from the group, Jewish Voice for Peace, protestation wrong Trump Tower successful enactment of Columbia postgraduate pupil Mahmoud Khalil, connected Thursday, March 13, successful New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
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Khalil’s lawsuit has sparked respective protests successful New York City, including a wide objection wrong Trump Tower past period which saw astir 100 radical arrested. It’s besides being viewed arsenic a marker of the Trump administration’s attempts to detain and deport visa holders who protested connected assemblage campuses.
White House property caput Karoline Leavitt antecedently defended the Trump administration's decision to apprehension Khalil and claimed that helium distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers connected campus.
"This medication is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying successful our state and past siding with pro-terrorist organizations that person killed Americans," Leavitt told reporters Tuesday astatine a White House property briefing, noting that connected her table were the "pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas" connected them that Khalil allegedly was distributing. "We person a zero-tolerance argumentation for siding with terrorists period."
Fox News’ Diana Stancy, Alexis McAdams and Stepheny Price, arsenic good arsenic The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is simply a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You tin nonstop tips to [email protected] and travel him connected Twitter @M_Dorgan.