Hundreds of protesters, led by Jewish activists from Jewish Voice for Peace, staged a sit-in at Trump Tower in Manhattan, demanding the release of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE. They also called for an end to US arms sales to "Israel and a halt to the repression of demonstrators opposing the Israeli genocide in occupied Palestine.

During the protest, police reportedly arrested 98 demonstrators inside Trump Tower, including Jewish elders, students, and descendants of Holocaust survivors. Officers forcibly removed them, dragging some out by their arms and legs.

98 demonstrators were arrested inside Trump Tower, NYC demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil. Those arrested included descendants of Holocaust survivors and students dragged out by their arms and legs.@jvplive released a statement: “As Jews, we refuse to be the scapegoats for… pic.twitter.com/lFvqoNEdfw

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) March 13, 2025

Simultaneously, Jewish Voice for Peace issued a statement condemning the crackdown: “As Jews, we refuse to be the scapegoats for fascism. We will not comply with the Trump regime’s attacks on our communities. If they come for one, they will face us all.”

UPDATE: Jewish activists holding a sit-in in Trump tower for Mahmoud Khalil are now being arrested. pic.twitter.com/mZgrO7esw2

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) March 13, 2025

US digs up subjective rare policy to deport Mahmoud Khalil 

The US government is invoking a seldom-used legal provision to attempt the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University graduate who played a key role in last year’s pro-Palestine campus protests, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

A government charging document addressed to Khalil, a lawful permanent resident currently detained in Louisiana, states that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has reasonable ground to believe that your presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

Green cards are rarely revoked without a criminal conviction, yet the foreign policy provision is the sole justification listed for Khalil’s deportation.

Federal immigration agents arrested Khalil outside his university-owned apartment on Saturday night in front of his wife. He had served as a lead negotiator for Columbia University’s Gaza solidarity encampment, mediating between student protesters and university administrators. His arrest has sparked concern among free-speech advocates, who view the deportation attempt as a direct attack on his constitutional rights.

Legal battle over Khalil’s detention

A Manhattan federal court held a hearing on Wednesday morning after Khalil’s legal team challenged his detention, though no decision was made regarding his release. During the proceedings, a Department of Justice attorney requested a change of venue from New York to Louisiana or New Jersey, where Khalil was previously held. Judge Jesse Furman, an Obama appointee, instructed the government to submit written arguments by Friday.

Earlier this week, Furman issued a temporary order preventing Khalil’s deportation while the court reviews the case. His lawyers argue that the Trump administration is unlawfully punishing him for his activism and protected speech.

Outside the courthouse, Ramzi Kassem, a member of Khalil’s legal team and founder of the CLEAR legal clinic at the City University of New York, criticized the government’s use of the provision.

“The government, as far as we understand, is relying on a rarely used provision in immigration law to justify the detention of a lawful permanent resident and his placement in removal proceedings,” he said. “It is a provision that basically says that if the secretary of state determines that a non-citizen’s presence or activity in this country poses a serious risk of adverse foreign policy consequences, then that person can be processed for removal. That provision is not only rarely used, it is certainly not intended by Congress to be used to silence dissent.”

According to The New York Times, the State Department’s justification for deporting Khalil is that his presence could undermine US foreign policy efforts to combat "antisemitism" worldwide. The administration views many pro-Palestinian campus protests as "antisemitic".

Read next: ICE secretly moved Mahmoud Khalil in retaliation: The Intercept