ICE Agents Detained Columbia Activist Without Legal Authorization
New court filings submitted on April 24 reveal that immigration agents did not have a warrant when they arrested Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil in March, a fact the Trump administration has now admitted. This contradicts earlier claims by the agents, who initially reported they did possess a warrant at the time of the arrest.
Khalil’s attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, denounced the agents’ actions as “egregious conduct” and argued that the deportation proceedings against Khalil should be dismissed.
“The government’s admission is astounding,” Van Der Hout stated. “It is completely outrageous that they claimed to the immigration judge—and the public—that they had a warrant, when in fact they did not.”
ICE Arrested Khalil After Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations
Immigration officers detained Mahmoud Khalil, 30, on March 8 in the lobby of his student apartment in Manhattan. Khalil had recently helped lead pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Despite not being charged with any crime, the Trump administration has pursued deportation, citing his alleged “adverse foreign policy consequences” to the U.S.
The arrest occurred amid a broader federal crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism, which the Trump administration has linked—critics say falsely—to terrorism and antisemitism. Khalil, a Palestinian born in Syria, holds a U.S. green card and has applied for asylum. His lawyers are currently requesting bail and his return to New Jersey, where he lived before being transferred to an immigration facility in Louisiana.
Arrest Lacked Legal Justification, Say Lawyers
Court filings show that agents only served Khalil with a warrant after transporting him to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New York. In their defense, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawyers claimed agents believed Khalil might flee before obtaining a warrant.
“Khalil stated that he would not cooperate and that he was going to leave the scene,” the DHS filing reads.
However, Khalil’s legal team rejected those claims, calling them “a patent lie.” They cited eyewitness accounts and video evidence that show Khalil cooperating calmly with plainclothes officers, who never identified themselves or presented a warrant during the arrest.
Legal Team Condemns “Unlawful Detention”
Amy Greer, another member of Khalil’s legal team, recalled the events of the night of the arrest.
“I was on the phone with Mahmoud, his wife Noor, and even the arresting agent,” she said. “Despite multiple plainclothes agents clearly intending to abduct him and refusing to show a warrant, Mahmoud complied without resistance. Now we know why they never showed it—because it didn’t exist.”
Greer condemned the government’s actions, calling them “yet another desperate attempt by the Trump administration to justify its unlawful arrest and detention of a human rights defender.” She described Khalil as a “political prisoner of the United States.”
Legal Challenges Continue in Two Courts
The Department of Homeland Security filed its latest admission in both immigration court in Jena, Louisiana, and federal court in New Jersey. On April 11, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that the government could proceed with deportation efforts.
Meanwhile, Khalil has filed a federal lawsuit in New Jersey, arguing that his detention violates his constitutional rights, including free speech and due process.
Family Separation Intensifies Public Outcry
While Khalil remains in detention, his wife Noor Abdalla—a U.S. citizen—gave birth to their first child on April 21. Khalil was unable to be with her due to his ongoing custody in Louisiana.
Khalil’s case has sparked criticism from legal experts and human rights groups, who view it as part of a broader pattern of using immigration enforcement to silence political dissent.
