**Student Detained by Immigration Officials**
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-Syrian refugee and student at Columbia University in New York City, has been detained by federal immigration officials.
According to his lawyer, Amy Greer, Mr. Khalil was arrested on Saturday while inside a university-owned house. Ms. Greer claims that ICE agents informed Mr. Khalil that his student visa had been revoked. However, she states that her client is a permanent legal resident with a Green Card and married to a US citizen.
**Pro-Palestinian Protests at Columbia**
Last summer, Columbia University was the site of nationwide student protests against the war in Gaza and US support for Israel. Mr. Khalil played an important role in these protests, serving as lead negotiator between university administrators and student protesters.
The protests were marked by controversy, with some Jewish students accusing pro-Palestinian demonstrators of using antisemitic rhetoric. Other Jewish students joined the protests, however. The Trump administration later revoked federal grants to Columbia University, citing the university’s failure to combat antisemitism.
**Current Situation**
Ms. Greer is unsure of Mr. Khalil’s current location, but a search on the ICE site suggests that he may be being held in a facility in New Jersey. She claims that her client was initially told he would be transferred to Louisiana, but further details are unclear.
Ms. Greer has described the situation as “terrible, inexcusable and calculated wrong.”
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