(MENAFN- Live Mint) Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist from Columbia University, gained widespread recognition when the Trump administration arrested and moved to deport him, describing his protests as“antisemitic”.

On 17 October, a federal judge allowed Mahmoud Khalil to travel and speak at rallies and other events across the US as he fights his deportation case brought by the Trump administration.

“He wants to travel for the very significant First Amendment reasons that are at the bottom of this case,” his lawyer, Alina Das, said, adding,“He wants to speak to issues of public concern.”

Who is Mahmoud Khalil?

Mahmoud Khalil has been a prominent figure at Columbia University protests against the war in Gaza. He was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on 8 March.

Mahmoud Khalil was born in Syria to Palestinian parents. However, he claimed to be from Tiberias - an Israeli city once known for its mixed Jewish and Arab community. During 'The Nakba', Palestinians were removed from the city.

He completed a degree in computer science from Lebanese American University in Beirut. After his graduation, Khalil worked with the Syrian-American non-profit organisation, Jusoor. At Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil studied Public Administration and graduated in December 2024.

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He also oversaw the Syria Chevening Programme at the British Embassy in Beirut, which provides scholarships for students to study in the UK.

He is also a legal US permanent resident and married to a US citizen.

Khalil has been described as the leader of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a group urging the university to divest from Israel and advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. He has denied being a leader of the group. He has said that he merely worked as a spokesperson for the protesters and a mediator with the university.

After his arrest in March 2025, Mahmoud Khalil sued the Trump administration for $20 million, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.

His arrest

On the night of his arrest, he said he was returning home from dinner with his wife, Noor Abdalla, when he was“effectively kidnapped” by plainclothes federal agents, who refused to provide a warrant and appeared surprised to learn he was a legal US permanent resident.

After his arrest, Khalil was kept at an immigration facility in Louisiana for three months before he was released in June.

Inside the jail, Mahmoud Khalil said he was denied his ulcer medication, forced to sleep under harsh fluorescent lights and fed“nearly inedible” food, causing him to lose 15 pounds (7 kilograms).

(With agency inputs)

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