Agents of the department of Homeland Security detained campus activist Mahmoud Khalil on Saturday, handcuffing him in his New York City apartment and driving him away in an unmarked vehicle, The Intercept reported, citing court filings.

His wife, who pleaded with the agents and presented legal documents proving his status as a green card holder, was ignored. When she demanded to know his whereabouts, the agents gave only a vague reply, "Check the local immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan."

By the next morning, however, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee locator no longer listed Khalil in New York. Instead, it showed him at the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey. When his wife arrived at the facility, she was turned away. Without notifying Khalil’s legal counsel or family, ICE had transferred him again—this time, thousands of miles south to Louisiana’s LaSalle Detention Facility, a private jail run by the GEO Group. His precise location was not updated in ICE’s system until Monday morning.

Khalil’s lawyers argue that ICE deliberately moved him away from New York in a "retaliatory transfer" designed to disrupt court proceedings, restrict his access to legal counsel, and place his case in a jurisdiction more favorable to the Trump administration’s anti-immigration stance.

TODAY: UC Berkeley students walked out, joining nationwide protests demanding the release of Palestinian Columbia University student, Mahmoud Khalil, and an end to US funds to Israel. pic.twitter.com/dRZNNHi4Ze

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) March 11, 2025

Three days after his arrest, Khalil still faces no formal charges. The Department of Homeland Security claims he was detained for leading "activities aligned to Hamas" as a prominent negotiator for Palestine solidarity protesters at Columbia University. President Donald Trump took credit for the arrest, calling it "the first arrest of many to come," vowing to target "more students at Columbia and other universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity."

Although a Manhattan federal court issued a temporary order preventing Khalil’s immediate deportation, his attorneys remain deeply concerned about his ability to mount a defense. On Monday, legal advocates from the Center for Constitutional Rights and the City University of New York’s Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility project filed a motion demanding Khalil’s return to New York.

Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said, as quoted by The Intercept, "The government just willfully ignored [the initial petition] to disrupt the natural adjudication of that and sent him 1,000 miles away."

"Now his wife can’t visit him, his attorneys will have a hard time visiting him, and his long-term immigration attorney can’t represent him in that jurisdiction," Azmy stressed.

Why it matters

The ICE’s decision to relocate Khalil to Louisiana’s Western District—where courts are generally more sympathetic to government immigration policies—could significantly impact his case, as per the report. If it moves to the appeals stage, he will now fall under the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals, which has historically ruled against immigrant rights, including the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

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The LaSalle Detention Facility, where Khalil is being held, has been the subject of multiple abuse allegations, including reports of physical assaults by guards, sexual misconduct, limited legal access, and wrongful death cases. His attorney, Amy Greer, was informed that she would have to wait 10 days before being allowed a full legal call with him. Her Monday morning conversation with Khalil was cut off after just minutes. His first phone call to his wife came more than 30 hours after his detention.

Despite his circumstances, Greer told The Intercept that Khalil "is healthy, and his spirits are undaunted by his predicament."

Who is Mahmoud Khalil?

Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian who became a permanent US resident in 2023, was a lead negotiator between Columbia University administrators and student protesters advocating for Palestinian rights. He graduated in December from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Public outcry over his arrest has been swift. By Monday evening, nearly two million people had signed an online petition calling for his release, and hundreds gathered outside a Manhattan federal building in protest.

Trump and his administration have justified Khalil’s detention as part of their broader crackdown on alleged "Hamas supporters" in the US. However, legal experts have pointed out that ICE agents did not have a judicially authorized warrant when they arrested him—only an administrative warrant, which does not grant the same level of authority. Furthermore, attorneys noted that revoking Khalil’s green card, as agents claimed, would require due process.

I'm joining 13 of my colleagues to demand that the Trump Administration immediately releases Mahmoud Khalil. Their illegal actions set a dangerous precedent. We cannot allow them to shred our constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Free Mahmoud Khalil. pic.twitter.com/G9YxBeDZvh

— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) March 11, 2025

Sabiya Ahamed, a staff attorney with Palestine Legal, criticized the Trump administration’s broad claims as a tactic to suppress advocacy.

"This is not something that can go unchecked—that is the message that students, activists, and legal organizations are sending to the Trump administration and also to universities," Ahamed told The Intercept. "You cannot just throw your students under the bus in this way, and you cannot illegally revoke the lawful status of your students simply because of their advocacy for Palestine without any due process."

Ahamed also urged universities to take stronger measures to protect their students, condemning Columbia’s past response to student protests, which included police intervention and harsh disciplinary measures.

The day before his arrest, Khalil had sent an email to Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, requesting institutional support as he faced escalating online harassment from pro-Israeli groups. In the email, Khalil detailed the "vicious and dehumanizing doxxing campaign" targeting him, with individuals falsely labeling him a terrorist and calling for his deportation.

"He closed the email by saying he was not able to sleep fearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (‘ICE’), or other dangerous individuals would target him and his family and urging Interim President Armstrong to provide legal support and other protections," court documents stated.

Following his arrest, Armstrong reaffirmed the university’s commitment to its students while also emphasizing the need to "follow the law." She denied that Columbia officials had invited ICE onto campus but acknowledged that under certain "exigent circumstances", the university could permit access without a warrant.

Khalil’s wife, who has chosen to remain anonymous, pleaded for continued support in securing his release. She described him as a selfless person who always prioritized others, even when she encouraged him to focus on himself.

"It feels like my husband was kidnapped from home," she said, "and at a time when we were supposed to be planning to welcome our first child into this world."