The largest case in public discourse today revolves around Columbia University, where 22 students — including Mahmoud Khalil — have faced suspensions, diploma revocations, or even deportation. The crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism has escalated sharply since US President Donald Trump came to power in January, but Khalil’s case signals a premeditated attempt by the US government to deter global Palestinian solidarity.

Khalil’s detention, orchestrated through opaque legal manoeuvres, reflects a broader strategy to suppress dissent. His sudden disappearance, the secrecy around his whereabouts, and the swift transfers across multiple states all raise serious concerns about violations of due process.

On 8 March, plainclothes ICE agents seized Khalil outside his university-owned apartment. For days, his wife and lawyers had no idea where he was; initially held at the Elizabeth Detention Centre in New Jersey, Khalil was quickly transferred the next day to Louisiana. His legal team only confirmed his location through ICE’s detainee locator database on 13 March meaning Khalil was taken off the grid for five days.

Key questions remain unanswered: Why was he moved from New York to New Jersey, and then to Louisiana? Why was his arrest conducted covertly? And why was his legal status — as a Green Card holder — ignored in favour of a deportation push?

ICE procedures typically apply to undocumented immigrants or visa holders. Yet Khalil, a Green Card holder, had no criminal charges against him — federal or state — that would justify his arrest and deportation. His detention has been driven by political motives rather than legal grounds, a stark example of how federal power can be manipulated to silence political expression.

New York’s sanctuary policies complicate this effort — the state prohibits local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration agencies unless due process is followed. This likely explains why ICE agents conducted Khalil’s arrest in secret.

Transferring Khalil across state lines appears to have been a calculated move. Federal law dictates that immigration cases are heard in the state where the person is detained. Holding Khalil in New Jersey, rather than New York, allowed prosecutors to avoid New York’s progressive courts while keeping options open for a potential........

© Middle East Monitor