Arrest of Columbia student protester sends chill across campus, say faculty

The arrest and threatened deportation of a student activist at Columbia University is a threat to free speech on campus and across the U.S., says professor Michael Thaddeus.

"It's a very dark day in the history of the Republic, when someone can be imprisoned just for exercising their constitutional rights," the Columbia math professor told As It Happens host Nil Koksal. 

"And it seems to be a nakedly clear case of that."

Thaddeus is one of several faculty members at the New York school speaking out on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for his role in campus protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident, was arrested without charge at his university-owned apartment on Saturday in front of his pregnant wife, and sent to a detention centre in Louisiana. 

The arrest was sparked by an executive order, signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, vowing to combat what he characterized as antisemitism on campus and deport pro-Palestinian student protesters, who he labelled "Hamas sympathizers."

Khalil, who is of Palestinian origin, came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2022 and became a permanent resident last year.

According to court filings, he completed a master's degree in public administration in December 2024 and was set to graduate in May.  He was a prominent member and negotiator for Columbia's protest movement against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

Trump alleged on social media, without evidence, that Khalil supported the Palestinian militant group Hamas, something the activist's lawyers vehemently denied. 

When Khalil was first arrested, the officers threatened to revoke his student visa and deport him, his lawyers said. When he corrected them that he, in fact, had a green card, they said they would revoke that instead.  

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Khalil's deportation while his lawyers challenge the constitutionality of his arrest.

During Khalil's first court hearing in New York City on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled the activist must be permitted private phone calls with his lawyers.

One of Khalil's lawyers, Ramzi Kassem, said his client had been allowed just one call with his legal team from immigration detention in Louisiana, that it was on a line recorded and monitored by the government, and was cut off prematurely.

Brandon Waterman, a lawyer for the government, said he had not been aware of any issues with Khalil's access to his lawyers but would look into it.