In face of protests, Trump administration pressures universities concerning pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with an activist still in detention.
The Trump administration is ramping up efforts to suppress pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, as demonstrations against the detention of activist Mahmoud Khalil escalate at the president's New York City residence, and resistance continues to persist in the courts and beyond.
Khalil, a Palestinian refugee whose green card was revoked due to his involvement in demonstrations last spring at Columbia University, is currently held in ICE custody in Louisiana. A federal judge has set a deadline of midday Friday for both the Trump administration’s attorneys and Khalil’s legal team to lay out the next steps in his case.
Trump took to social media this week to boast that Khalil's apprehension was a result of his administration's actions, claiming that those who support terrorism "are not welcome here." However, Khalil’s lawyer asserts that the government's case has no basis in law.
"They arrested this man, this young student, father-to-be...based on an accusation that he has the wrong political ideas, and he has expressed them," Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, stated to CNN. "It's an attempt to bully the universities into submission. It's an attempt to intimidate students and faculty into silence and conformity."
Columbia University under federal pressure
Despite the ongoing protests, demonstrations are expected to continue at Columbia University in New York City on Friday, as students are still reeling from the presence of federal agents on campus. Interim President Katrina Armstrong announced that Department of Homeland Security agents had served two warrants to search two student rooms on Thursday.
"No one was arrested or detained. No items were removed, and no further action was taken," Armstrong said in an email acknowledging "the immense stress our community is under." The search of students' rooms followed the Trump administration's threat a week ago to withhold $400 million in grants and contracts from the university over its handling of antisemitism on campus.
The Department of Education and other federal agencies sent a joint letter to Columbia administrators on Thursday outlining conditions for "formal negotiations regarding Columbia University's continued financial relationship with the United States government." These conditions include adopting the administration's definition of "antisemitism," reforming the university’s admissions process, and eliminating the University Judicial Board, which handles disciplinary actions against students who violate the university's code of conduct.
Columbia was given a week to comply with the administration's demands and announced on Thursday it has expelled, suspended, or temporarily revoked the degrees of students who were involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations that barricaded Hamilton Hall in April.
The latest developments at Columbia come just days after the Department of Homeland Security announced it was working to identify students involved in similar protests across multiple American colleges. In January, Trump signed an executive order promising to "combat antisemitism" on college campuses by potentially revoking visas and directing universities to "monitor" and "report" on international students and staff.
Khalil was arrested on Saturday "in support of Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism,” the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Jewish Americans speak out against administration
Not all Jewish Americans support the administration's actions, as nearly a hundred people were arrested last Thursday after storming Trump Tower in Manhattan to demand Khalil's release and voice their opposition to his detention.
The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, saw demonstrators wearing t-shirts stating, "Not in Our Name," and unfurling banners that read, "Jews Say Do Not Comply." The demonstration coincided with the Jewish holiday Purim, which honors Queen Esther, "who used her voice to speak out and prevent the king from committing genocide."
“We know our history, and we are here to say, ‘Never again,’” Jewish Voice for Peace spokesperson Sonya Meyerson-Knox told CNN after the protest. “I am here in adherence to what my ancestors taught me because I have been taught what happens when authoritarian regimes start scapegoating people. And I know that if we don't speak up today, we will not be able to speak up.”
- As the interim president of Columbia University, Katrina Armstrong reported that federal agents served warrants to search two student rooms, following the administration's threat to withhold funds over antisemitism on campus.
- The US government's case against Khalil, a Palestinian activist detained in Louisiana, is being challenged by his lawyer, who claims that the government's case has no basis in law.
- A group of Jewish Americans organized a protest outside Trump Tower, demanding Khalil's release and expressing their opposition to his detention, wearing t-shirts that read, "Not in Our Name," referencing the Jewish holiday Purim, which honors a woman who spoke out against genocide.
