Immigration officials have arrested the head of the group that organized anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, sending him to an undisclosed detention center to await deportation after the State Department revoked his green card. 

Graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who was a lead negotiator in the 2024 Gaza Solidarity encampment that paralyzed the school last spring, had most recently been involved with the occupation of the library at Barnard College, one of Columbia’s undergraduate colleges.

A LinkedIn profile with his image lists Mr. Khalil as a political affairs officer for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in 2023. UNRWA is accused of abetting Hamas before and after the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

He was taken into custody on Saturday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials approached Mr. Khalil and his wife, who is eight months pregnant, as they returned home to their university-owned apartment around 8:30 p.m.  Mr. Khalil, a Palestinian who is reportedly from Syria, was moved to the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in New Jersey.

“We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Mr. Khalil’s attorney, Amy Greer, told the Associated Press. “This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.”

In a subsequent statement, Ms. Greer said Mr. Khalil’s whereabouts remained unknown Sunday. Initially suspected of being held at a detention center in New Jersey, she said his wife visited the facility and was told he wasn’t there. “We have subsequently received reports that Mahmoud may be transferred as far away as Louisiana,” Ms. Greer said.

The arrest followed a statement by Secretary of State Rubio last week announcing that supporters of Hamas and other designated terrorist groups threaten national security and will be treated as threats to national security themselves. 

“The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists. Violators of U.S. law — including international students — face visa denial or revocation, and deportation,” he wrote in an X post on Thursday, winning plaudits from Senator Cotton of Oklahoma and others.

The State Department has not yet responded to the Sun for confirmation or comment. However, a report from pro-Palestinian publication Zeteo said the State Department did reply that “in general, the department has broad authority to revoke visas … under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

Earlier this week, President Trump announced that Columbia University would be stripped of $400 million in federal funds for not stopping intimidation campaigns against Jewish students on campus. The move followed a previous executive order in which he called on federal agencies to revoke the visas of foreigners who “threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology.” He then followed up with a second warning. 

“I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before,” he wrote in a second order.

On Sunday, Columbia said it had received reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers around campus. It said it will follow the law, but no more. 

“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. Columbia is committed to complying with all legal obligations and supporting our student body and campus community,” the statement reads.

After Columbia’s funding was slashed, interim president, Katrina Armstrong, said the president had “legitimate concerns.”

“We owe to every student here the best possible experience that they can ever have, that there should never be a student who does not feel welcome, included, or valued,” Ms. Armstrong said.