Protests grow in NYC over Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist’s arrest as judge says he can’t be deported yet
Judges are blasting the brakes of activists who are trying to expel loved ones Columbia University’s 2024 student camp protests.
The judge ordered the Trump administration and Mahmoud Khalil’s lawyers to meet in court at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan.
Judge Jesse Furman wrote: “To retain the jurisdiction of the court, (Khalil) shall not be removed from the United States until the decision on the petition is made, unless and until the court has otherwise ordered.”
Khalil is Arrested Saturday night Federal immigration authorities are in his university-owned apartment. Khalil’s attorney Amy Greer said they claimed they were revoking Khalil’s student visa and green card as per the State Department order.
Khalil was held in Jena, Louisiana, pending an immigration court lawsuit, which could lead to his deportation, according to the Associated Press.
President Trump said on Monday that Khalil’s arrest was Just “the first of many people”.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Harrier’s arrest was “a executive order supporting President Trump’s ban on anti-Semitism” accusing the former student of “leading activities consistent with Hamas.” It provides no details on any charges or crimes.
Protesters take the streets of Lower Street in Manhattan
The judge’s decision was as protesters were brought to the streets of Manhattan to express opposition to Khalil’s arrest. Demonstrators gathered at Foley Square to call for his release. The protesters then began to cross downstream Manhattan. Chopper 2’s video It shows that at least one protester was detained.
“Although he is a legal permanent resident, Mr. Khalil was detained and officials threatened to deprive the act – a direct violation of the country’s immigration laws. It is equally disturbing that Mr. Khalil’s First Amendment rights, a broader meaning of free speech and peace operations in this country and peaceful operations,’’
Information for the Columbia University community on MondayThe school’s interim principal said the arrests and previously suspended $400 million in federal funding were “a challenging moment for our community.”
“Columbia University exists to serve the United States and the world, by teaching, creating, and advancing knowledge. We pursue that mission through freedom of expression, open inquiry, a wide range of perspectives, and respectful debate. These are Columbia’s values, they are America’s values, they are essential to a functioning democracy, and we will fight for them. We do this for our students and for our future,” Katrina Armstrong wrote. “At present, everyone’s eyes are focused on Colombia. This is thanks to our higher education values that ensure our universities, and even broader, survive and grow.”
Armstrong said the university will “relatively” carry out its mission and take a “mechanical, thoughtful approach to addressing the many challenges ahead of us”.
“We will comply with the law as we have ever been,” Armstrong wrote. “This remains a long-term practice for universities, as well as for cities and institutions across the country, and law enforcement must have judicial arrest warrants to access non-public university areas, including residential university buildings.”
