Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil returned to the university Monday for a press conference to speak about his detention and that of New Jersey resident Leqaa Kordia.

Both were arrested following protests at Columbia over the war in Gaza.

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Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil returned to the university Monday for a press conference to speak about his detention and that of New Jersey resident Leqaa Kordi


It has been a year to the day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Khalil following his participating in pro-Palestinian campus protests


Khalil also criticized the Trump administration, which continues its efforts to deport him

“They don’t want anyone to speak for Palestine,” Khalil said. “They don’t want anyone to speak for human rights.”

It has been a year to the day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Khalil following his participating in pro-Palestinian campus protests.

“I’m here with a very heavy heart too,” he said. “Next to an institution, a fortified fortress behind me, [which] did everything in its power to silence me, to disappear me, to disappear any Palestinian voice.”

Columbia University counters that it “supports students’ right to protest and advocate for issues they believe in. At the same time, we want to be very clear: no member of Columbia’s leadership or its trustees has ever requested, invited, or coordinated the presence of ICE agents against members of our community.”

Khalil also criticized the Trump administration, which continues its efforts to deport him.

Although the federal government has not charged him with a crime, administration officials accuse him of promoting antisemitism in the demonstrations and failing to disclose key details on his application for permanent residency, which Khalil denies and his supporters deny.

While at Columbia, Khalil also joined protesters in calling for the release of another activist,Leqaa Kordia, among the first pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested for criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza. She remains jailed and issued a statement through a spokesperson.

“May Allah Almighty bless you and protect you,” her spokesperson said. “Stay bold, stay loud, stay unshakable, stay safe. Love Leqaa Kordia.”

Monday’s press conference and protest follow the detention of another Columbia student who was arrested at her on-campus residence last week but released hours later after appeals to the Trump administration from the university and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Khalil, who was arrested last year in his Columbia-owned apartment, has two cases he’s fighting: one in federal court and another in immigration court.

While the federal judge who ordered him released has also issued an order barring the government from deporting Khalil, a U.S. appeals court said that judge had no authority to do so.

“Just last week we filed an appeal to the Board of Immigration,” Khalil said. 

“At the end of this month, we will ask the Third Circuit to review the federal court decision.”

Last month, Mamdani asked President Trump to end Khalil’s case and that of four other immigrants from the New York-area.

In a statement to NY1, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said, “On March 13, 2025, HSI arrested Leqaa Kordia, from the West Bank (Palestine), for immigration violations related to overstaying her expired student visa. She violated the terms of her student visa. Previously, in April 2024, Kordia was arrested by local law enforcement for her involvement in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City.”