WASHINGTON

Protesters gathered Saturday outside US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, DC to demand the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil -- a green card holder and recent Columbia University graduate who helped organize campus protests last year.

Demonstrators later took to the streets, chanting: “We want justice, you say how. Free Mahmoud Khalil now!” and “Free all the students today.” Many held banners that read: “Free Palestine”, “Release Mahmoud Khalil” and “ICE off our campuses.”

Protests were also held in New York City, where demonstrators rallied in Times Square before marching through to Columbus Circle. Organizers condemned Khalil’s detention, arguing that his right to protest is protected under the First Amendment.

“Attacks on Mahmoud Khalil are not attacks on one individual, they are an attack on everyone who dares to stand up and speak for justice,” said one protester.

The Columbia University graduate was arrested by ICE agents on March 8 at his university-owned apartment. The arrest was carried out following an order by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke his student visa and green card. The Trump administration has accused Khalil, who played a prominent role in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the school last year, of engaging in “activities aligned with Hamas” though no evidence has been provided. He is currently being held at an ICE detention center in the state of Louisiana.

President Donald Trump has defended the detention, stating that Khalil’s case is “the first of many to come” as his administration moves to crack down on those who joined protests against Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 48,500 Palestinians since October 2023.

Rubio said Friday that the US is expected to revoke visas for more students in the coming days.

A video released by Khalil’s attorneys on Friday showed the moment federal agents arrested him in the lobby of his apartment building. The footage captures Khalil calmly complying with officers as his wife, Noor Abdalla, pleads for information on his whereabouts. Abdalla, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, demanded that the agents identify themselves, to which one responded, “We don’t give our names.”

Khalil’s attorneys argue that his arrest for "exercising his First Amendment rights, speaking up in defense of Palestinians in Gaza" is politically motivated and part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations.