Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student who led the anti-Israel protests at the university, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier this week. Khalil, a legal permanent resident, was detained at his university-owned apartment in Manhattan as part of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement policies and vows to deport terrorist supporters.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that Khalil was arrested in connection with activities allegedly tied to Hamas, though his attorneys and supporters have denied the claims.

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the arrest, making strong remarks about Khalil and others accused of anti-Israel activism on U.S. campuses.

“Let me tell you something. I went and faced down the angry mob at Columbia at the height of that stuff,” Johnson said. “If you are on a student visa and you’re an aspiring young terrorist who wants to prey upon your Jewish classmates, you’re going home. We’re gonna arrest your — tail, and we’re gonna send you home where you belong.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)