Staff Reports
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and known rabble-rouser from Columbia University, was recently arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This incident serves as a clear sign that the Biden administration’s days of coddling foreign agitators are over—at least, if former President Trump has anything to say about it. It looks like the former president’s promise to tackle anti-Israel vitriol on campuses is coming to fruition, one student at a time.
Recapping recent events, Khalil’s radical antics weren’t particularly subtle during his time at Columbia, where he was the leader of protests that many have deemed anti-Semitic. Following the catastrophic Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the campus climate shifted dramatically, especially with the surge of anti-Israel sentiment blowing through universities. President Trump had previously made his stance abundantly clear: foreign students stirring the pot of unrest could very well find themselves boarding the next flight out of America.
Ten days after being inaugurated, Trump wasted no time, issuing an executive order designed to combat antisemitism on college campuses—a stroke of genius that clearly set the stage for future actions like Khalil’s arrest. This order included deportation threats for foreign students brazen enough to partake in radical protests, effectively putting college campuses on notice. Now, with Khalil’s arrest, it appears that the Trump administration’s iron fist has gripped the halls of higher education once again.
Khalil, who completed his graduate studies just a few months ago, had been living in university-provided housing, thanks to a policy that allows graduates to stick around for a while. Clearly, he didn’t expect a surprise visit from ICE. As Khalil found his cozy spot within the elite confines of an Ivy League institution upended, legal experts now speculate about the fate of his visa and green card, which may soon be dust in the wind—thanks to Trump’s relentless pursuit of justice against unrest on campuses.
Meanwhile, Columbia found itself on the receiving end of a significant financial slap from the Trump administration, with around $400 million in grants cancelled due to its apparent failure to adequately address ongoing antisemitic sentiments fostered on its campus. The increasing unrest has put elite institutions in a precarious position, creating a tangled web of protests that some have even endorsed violence against the Jewish state. It seems the schools that once thrived on “freedom of speech” are now facing the consequences of crossing the wrong ethical lines.
