The Case of Mahmoud Khalil
On March 8, ICE officers arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian who is in the United States on a green card. DHS charged Khalil under Section 237(a)(4)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This provision makes deportable any noncitizen “whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
Khalil was reportedly involved in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City, following Israel’s military actions in Gaza in response to the October 7 attack on Israel. Hamas has been a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) for more than 27 years.
The specific grounds for Khalil’s removability have not been publicly disclosed. However, these charges must be formally presented in removal proceedings before an immigration judge. The time and location of these proceedings have not yet been set.
Below is a list of articles and interviews providing legal and policy analysis, which may offer insights once the full facts are revealed in a court of law.
Op-ed: It’s Absolutely Legal to Deport Hate-Monger Mahmoud Khalil
Topics: The Case of Mahmoud Khalil
The Next Chapter in the Saga of Mahmoud Khalil
Facts are much clearer in a court of law than in the court of public opinion
Andrew Arthur Joins a Discussion on the Case of Mahmoud Khalil
Originally published by CNN on March 12, 2025
Andrew Arthur, the Center's Resident Fellow in Law and Policy, joins a discussion on the case of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia protester arrested by ICE and facing deportation.
Topics: The Case of Mahmoud Khalil, TV Interviews