Video has been released of the moment a Palestinian activist was taken into custody by federal authorities over his role in anti-Israel protests that rocked Columbia University last year.
In the video, released Friday, three immigration agents confront Mahmoud Khalil in the lobby of his apartment building near the university campus Saturday night. The agents can be heard telling him he is “going to be under arrest" and repeatedly instruct him to “turn around” and “stop resisting.”
“There’s no need for this,” Khalil responds as he's placed in handcuffs. “I’m going with you. No worries.”
Khalil's wife, Noor Abdalla, who is eight months pregnant, can be heard asking in Arabic: “My love, how can I call you?”
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Khalil says he'll be fine and tells Abdalla to call his attorney. She later demands to know the names of the agents and the arresting agency upon advice of her attorney, but one agent replies: “We don’t give our names."
Lawyers for the Justice Department have said in court documents that Kahlil was detained under a law allowing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to remove someone from the country if he has reason to believe they could have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.
In a statement accompanying the video, Abdalla called it "the most terrifying moment of my life."
"This felt like a kidnapping because it was: Officers in plainclothes — who refused to show us a warrant, speak with our attorney, or even tell us their names — forced my husband into an unmarked car and took him away from me," she said. "They threatened to take me too, even though we were calm and fully cooperating."
Abdalla said neither she nor her lawyer knew where Khalil was being detained for nearly two days after the arrest.
"Now, he's over 1,000 miles from home, still being wrongfully detained by US immigration."
Trump has vowed to deport Khalil, accusing him of supporting Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization. The president said Khalil's arrest was just "the first arrest of many to come."
"We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America's Colleges and Universities to comply."
American Civil Liberties Union, however, hit back at Trump in a post on x Friday evening.
"President Trump can't punish and deport someone for their political beliefs. Mahmoud Khalil has not been charged with a crime — he must be released immediately," the organization said.
Watch the arrest below or at this link.
the ACLU just released video of ICE arresting Mahmoud Khalil, taken by his pregnant wife. note the plainclothes officers
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— gaby :) (@gabydvj.bsky.social) March 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM