What to Know About the Immigration Arrest of Columbia Activist Mahmoud Khalil

Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil remains detained in Louisiana as his attorneys challenge his arrest and pending deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Khalil, 30, became the face of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia last spring by acting as a spokesperson for the demonstrators, who opposed Israel’s military response to the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The early-morning assault on Israeli neighborhoods, military bases, and a music festival resulted in some 1,200 deaths—mostly civilians—and the abduction of 251 more, including some U.S. citizens. Israel swiftly declared war and launched a military campaign that has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry....