Overview

The Detainment of Mahmoud Khalil refers to the March 2025 arrest and detainment of former Columbia University graduate student and political activist Mahmoud Khalil who notably organized Columbia's pro-Palestinian protest and Gaza Solidarity Encampment in April 2024, which led to a wave of pro-Palestine protests across American universities and colleges against the Israeli forces in the 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas Conflict. Khalil was born in Syria but is a citizen of Algeria and was a student visa and green card holder in the U.S. at the time of his detainment. Khalil was detained by Department of Homeland Security agents and was relocated to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana. Khalil's detainment sparked viral backlash, outrage and controversy among many because no reason for his detainment was immediately provided by ICE and it seemed to some like he was wrongfully detained for expressing his right to protest. ICE reportedly threatened to revoke Khalil's green card and deport him. Others, however, supported the decision and praised the move. Many internet users and supporters of Khalil blamed what they perceived as the Zionist and Israeli ties in President Donald Trump's administration, especially after the official White House Twitter / X account called Khalil and his supporters "pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, [and] anti-American." President Trump also posted about Khalil on Truth Social, writing, "We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country." President Trump's White House also amplified the catchphrase "Shalom Mahmoud," which represented saying goodbye to Khalil from a Jewish or Israeli person ("shalom" is a Hebrew word meaning peace). Viral discourse and debate occurred on social media in the following weeks as the case spread online. Three days after his detainment, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held a press conference in which she said that Khalil's deportation was tied to him allegedly circulating pro-Hamas propaganda flyers, organizing protests that disrupted classes at the school and harassing Jewish-American students.

Background

On March 8th, 2025, Department of Homeland Security agents detained former Columbia University grad student Mahmoud Khalil at his New York City apartment. Khalil helped lead negotiations between Columbia University and student protesters amid the school's Gaza Solidarity Encampment and pro-Palestinian protests in April 2024.^[1][4] In December, Khalil completed work on his master's degree from the university's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).^[18]

Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer, spoke with the Associated Press about his arrest, claiming that the agents detained Khalil and threatened his pregnant wife, who is an American citizen, with arrest as well. According to her report, "Greer told them that Khalil possessed a green card and was a legal permanent resident, the agent said they were revoking that instead."^[1][2]

Mahmoud Khalil was moved to an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, as reported by 404 Media. At the time, Khalil had not been charged with a crime.^[3]

According to Zetero, Mahmoud Khalil had emailed Columbia University interim President Katrina Armstrong on March 7th, 2025, concerning his growing fear and anxiety. He cited the pro-Israel organization Betar misquoting him saying, "Zionists don’t deserve to live," and threatening him by saying ICE "is aware of his home address and whereabouts" and that they "have provided all his information to multiple contacts."^[4]

On March 9th, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially acknowledged the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil on X,^[5] saying the arrest was made "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism," further writing that, "Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization." The tweet received over 3.5 million views and 18,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Also on March 9th, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a tweet^[6] about the detainment of Khalil, writing, "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported," receiving over 18.8 million views and 135,000 likes in two days (shown below).

President Donald Trump officially acknowledged the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil on March 10th, 2025, in a post on Truth Social. ^[7] He wrote, "Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come." His post gained over 49,300 likes in a day (shown below).

Online Reactions

Reactions showing backlash and outrage surfaced en masse on social media after news of Mahmoud Khalil's detainment spread online in March 2025.

For instance, on March 9th, 2025, X^[10] user @ChrisSosa said, "Everyone should be shouting from the rooftops demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil. No one is safe in a nation where you can be disappeared for protesting," receiving over 14,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Also on March 9th, X^[11] user @davenewworld_2 tweeted a screenshot of a news headline, writing, "This is fascist as fuck. They are arresting people and revoking their green card for protesting apartheid. Free Mahmoud Khalil," amassing over 22,000 likes in two days (shown below).

President Trump supporters and pundits also weighed in on the detainment of Khalil, such as the X^[15] account Libs of TikTok, which shared a video of Khalil on March 9th, 2025, gaining over 77,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Infographics and posts in support of Khalil also went viral on Instagram, like a piece of fan art shared by Instagram^[13] user @heatherschiederillustrates_ on March 10th, 2025, that received over 2,100 likes in a day (shown below).

Also on March 10th, Instagram^[14] user @thegingarab shared a Soyjaks vs. Chads meme that contrasted MAGA supporters and pro-Palestine activists, receiving over 4,900 likes in a day (shown below).

On March 10th, 2025, activist and Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) David Hogg reacted to the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil in a viral video on TikTok, ^[16] writing in his caption, "Fuck Donald Trump and his authoritarianism." It received minor engagement on TikTok and more engagement on X^[17] when Hogg reposted it himself, gaining over 8,300 likes in a day.

Developments

Shalom Mahmoud

On March 10th, 2025, the official White House account on X^[8] quote tweeted the @DHSgov tweet,^[5] attaching an infographic that showed Mahmoud Khalil and the phrase, "Shalom Mahmoud." The tweet's caption included a quote from President Trump's Truth Social^[7] post, reading, "We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again." The quote tweet received over 5.6 million views and 26,000 likes in a day (shown below).

The abovementioned post amassed backlash and outrage from many, as well as praise from Trump supporters, in the following days.

For instance, on March 10th, X^[9] user @davidgross_man quote tweeted the White House's "Shalom Mahmoud" post, writing, "I can only react to this image as I am: a Jew. To make Jewish words and phrases interchangeable with ICE detention is to make Judaism the face of fascism. This has happened in Israel and will happen here if we allow it," gaining over 36,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Deportation

Later on March 10th, 2025, a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil after weighing the petition challenging Khalil's arrest.^[12]

The YouTube channel of NBC New York reported on the story that same day, receiving over 182,000 views, 1,600 likes and 3,500 comments in 21 hours.

White House Press Conference

On March 11th, 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held a press conference in which she discussed more details about Mahmoud Khalil's detainment and deportation.^[19] During the presser, Leavitt said, "This is an individual who organized group protests that not only disrupted college campus classes and harassed Jewish American students and made them feel unsafe on their own college campus, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda flyers with the logo of Hamas."

That same day, the New York Post uploaded the press conference to its YouTube channel, receiving over 20,500 views, 1,700 likes and 500 comments in two hours.

Search Interest

External References