“Hands Off Our Students!” Hundreds Rally in New York City Demanding Mahmoud Khalil’s Release
New York (Quds News Network)- Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in New York City on Monday to demand the release of pro-Palestine activist and recent Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested on Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for participating in anti-genocide protests.
The People’s Forum organized the rally at Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Monday afternoon and has demanded that Khalil be released immediately.
“Hands off our students! ICE off our campuses!” the group said on X.
Monday afternoon, protesters filled the commons and quickly amassed into the hundreds, some carrying “Release Mahmoud Khalil” signs.
🚨 BREAKING: Protesters Gather in NYC Demanding Release of Mahmoud Khalil
Crowds are assembling at Foley Square, NYC, calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and recent Columbia graduate. DHS agents abducted him from his home on March 8, and he is now… pic.twitter.com/Jeb1wJvCJL
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 10, 2025
New York police officers were quick to line the plaza, establishing boundaries for the event. Arrests were also reported.
NOW: Arrests as Pro-Palestine Protesters march through NYC against ICE Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil former student of Columbia University, who's green card has been revoked.
Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 @FreedomNTV [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/GA6yUhmNs8
— Oliya Scootercaster đź›´ (@ScooterCasterNY) March 10, 2025
Among the protesters were students from area City University of New York campuses, who gathered in front of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Protesters joined to chant “free, free Palestine,” “ICE off our campus now,” “Release Mahmoud Khalil now” and “From the river to the sea”.
Speaking from the stage, Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York ACLU, demanded that Khalil be released immediately, calling his arrest “a gross violation of his constitutional rights.”
Professors at Columbia and Barnard College organized a news conference after the protest.
Marianne Hirsch, Columbia professor emerita of English and comparative literature, questioned the Trump administration’s motive in Khalil’s arrest, noting that he participated in protests in support of Palestinian people in Gaza, not in support of Hamas.
Breaking | Protests in NYC Demand Mahmoud Khalil’s Release.
Crowds in New York City are marching to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate detained by ICE. Protesters say they will not stop speaking out for Palestine’s freedom and against Israeli apartheid. pic.twitter.com/gppUUkR5vW
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 10, 2025
“Criticism of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza can’t be equated with anti-Jewish sentiment,” said Hirsch, who said she was raised by Holocaust survivors.
“Pro-Palestinian speech and activism does not mean a lack of safety for Jews anywhere.”
“This is a time to be ever more outraged because what happened to Mahmoud can happen to anyone,” Rabbi Jason Garrett Klein said.
Speakers described Khalil as a political prisoner who helped negotiate the conclusion of pro-Palestinian rallies at Columbia, including a campus encampment.
“Now we are facing a horrifying reality that our own student, a member of the Columbia community, has become a political prisoner here in the United States,” said Michael Farris, a Columbia mathematics professor.
