In protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a number of Columbia University students have tied themselves to a gate.
On Wednesday afternoon, the students started demonstrating outside Columbia University’s St. Paul’s Chapel, calling for the school to make public the identities of the trustees “who gave Mahmoud Khalil’s name to ICE.”
“We will not leave until our demand is met,” the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Committee stated on X.
“FREE MAHMOUD KHALIL. NAME THE TRUSTEE. Jewish students will not leave. They will remain chained to the campus gates until @Columbia University is held accountable. WHO REPORTED MAHMOUD TO ICE?” the group stated on X.
“We will follow the process established in the Rules of University Conduct for enforcing violations. Our focus is on preserving our core mission to teach, create, and advance knowledge while ensuring a safe campus for our community,” according to the spokesperson.
According to the Columbia Daily Spectator, the demonstrators then sat outside the gates with their arms linked and declared their intention to remain until Columbia discloses “which trustee is responsible for informing on students.”
No member of the institution’s “leadership or the board of trustees has ever requested the presence of US Immigration and Customs (ICE) agents on or near campus,” the university subsequently stated.
“This includes for enforcement actions against students or any other member of our community,” a spokesperson stated.
“Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings.”
According to a New York Police Department spokesperson, there were about 80 demonstrators on the Columbia University campus immediately outside the St. Paul’s Chapel gate.
Additionally, protesters hung a poster that said, “Free Mahmoud Khalil,” from a nearby overpass. Identify the trustees.
Early in March, ICE authorities in New York City arrested Khalil, one of the organizers of the anti-Israel camp at Columbia University in the spring of 2024.
Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Born in Syria, Khalil arrived in the United States in 2022 and became a permanent resident in 2024.
This information has been sourced from NY Post.
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