FTA:

Khalil, who is Palestinian, served as a lead negotiator amid the campus's Gaza solidarity encampment last spring. He had appeared in several media interviews, in the past telling outlets he had a student visa. Advocates say he had gotten his green card since.

The escalation comes amid several reports of ICE presence on the school's campus this week. It also comes after a massive escalation by the Trump-Vance administration to crack down on speech. This week, Trump announced his intentions to jail, imprison, or deport students involved in protests. Then, reporting revealed that his State department was planning to use Artificial Intelligence to monitor online activity, and revoke visas for whomever they deem to be "pro-Hamas."

On Friday, the Trump administration cut $400 million in grants to Columbia, claiming it has failed to take steps to address antisemitism, despite it having one of the most militant responses to student protestors.

Updates:

Prem Thakker
@premthakker.bsky.social

UPDATE--Mahmoud's attorney says they do NOT know where he is.
They were first told he was sent to an ICE facility in Elizabeth, NJ. But when his 8-month-pregnant wife [who is a US citizen] tried to visit him, she was told he's not there.
They've received reports he may be sent as far away as Louisiana.

Prem Thakker @premthakker.bsky.social

UPDATE--Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now commented on the Trump admin's detaining & attempted green card revocation of a Columbia Gaza encampment student negotiator:
"We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported."

Any Pro-Palestinian voter who didn't vote for Harris and/or who voted for Trump should have seen this coming.

Philip Bump @pbump.com

Setting aside the incredibly dangerous and fascist aspect of this, is there actual evidence that Khalil was a "Hamas supporter"? Or is the standard for a green-card holder being sent to a secret location and possibly deported just "critical of Israel"?

Republicans of late are fond of saying, Zelensky doesn't want the war to end because then he'll have to run for re-election. The same is true for Bibi, only in Bibi's case continuing the war is also forestalling an investigation into his dealings with/handling of Hamas before October 7th and on that fateful day.

To reiterate the obvious: You can be anti-Bibi without being anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. Likewise, you can be pro-Palestinian without being pro-Hamas.