'haven't Been Able To Sleep': Columbia Activist Begged For Protection Before Ice Took Him

The former Columbia University graduate student who led the pro-Palestine protests on campus last year desperately asked the university for protection just a day before Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came and arrested him on unclear grounds, according to a Monday report from Zeteo, the news group founded by former MSNBC personality Mehdi Hasan.

Mahmoud Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and is married to a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant with his child. He is currently being held at an ICE detention facility in Louisiana that has been criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union for "rampant abuse" of detainees. His arrest has triggered a furious outcry from civil rights groups and some lawmakers, who allege he is being targeted for his political speech.

The message for help came in an email Khalil sent to Columbia interim president Katrina Armstrong.

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“Since yesterday, I have been subjected to a vicious, coordinated, and dehumanizing doxxing campaign led by Columbia affiliates Shai Davidai and David Lederer who, among others, have labeled me a security threat and called for my deportation,” stated Khalil. “Their attacks have incited a wave of hate, including calls for my deportation and death threats. I have outlined the wider context below, yet Columbia has not provided any meaningful support or resources in response to this escalating threat. I haven’t been able to sleep, fearing that ICE or a dangerous individual might come to my home."

"I urgently need legal support, and I urge you to intervene and provide the necessary protections to prevent further harm,” he continued.

This news comes after Davidai, a Columbia assistant professor at the School of Business who has condemned his institution for not doing enough to protect Jewish students from antisemitic hatred, publicly lauded the arrest, posting, “To be clear: Mahmoud Khalil was detained because he broke the law and his green card conditions.” Davidai, who was suspended over accusations he harassed university staff, denies any contact with the Trump administration over this case.

Immigration officials initially claimed that Khalil violated the terms of his student visa, then stated his green card was revoked after his lawyer pointed out he wasn't here on a student visa. The Trump administration also claims to have evidence Khalil distributed propaganda for the terrorist group Hamas, but has yet to release any such evidence publicly, or to charge him with any crime that would be cause to revoke his residency.

This afternoon, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting Khalil until further proceedings can take place.