New York: Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student activist who led campus pro-Palestinian rallies and is now fighting the Trump administration’s efforts to deport him, has called his March 8 arrest by immigration authorities an “abduction.” Titled ‘A Letter to Columbia,’ the op-ed published in the Columbia Spectator on Saturday was verified by his attorney, according to the student newspaper. He addressed the letter to “Columbia-an institution that laid the groundwork for my abduction-and to its student body, who must not abdicate their responsibility to resist repression.”
According to Anadolu Agency, Khalil, in his opinion piece, claimed that since his arrest, the intimidation and kidnapping of international students who stand for Palestine have accelerated. He named other students who have been arrested and are facing deportation, including Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk. Khalil drew parallels to his past experiences, stating, ‘The situation is oddly reminiscent of when I fled the brutality of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and sought refuge in Lebanon.’
Khalil criticized Columbia University for its role in what he described as the acceptance of the genocide in Gaza, placing blame on the institution alongside ‘Zionist settler colonialism.’ He accused the university of not acknowledging the lives of Palestinians affected and of reproducing language used to justify the violence. “In the 18 months since the genocidal campaign in Gaza began, Columbia has not only refused to acknowledge the lives of Palestinians sacrificed for Zionist settler colonialism, but it has actively reproduced the language used to justify this killing,” Khalil asserted.
He further accused Columbia of suppressing student dissent under the guise of combating antisemitism. Khalil’s claims come amid broader discussions on campus free speech and the treatment of international students in the United States. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that over 300 student visas had been revoked, stating: ‘Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas.’