Donald Trump warns crackdown on Palestinian activists will continue: ‘Never to return again’

President Donald Trump said that the arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University was the “first of many” detainments

Updated on: Mar 11, 2025, 07:25:29 IST

By HT News Desk

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President Donald Trump vowed to continue his crackdown on protests against Israel in college campuses across the country after a Palestinian activist was detained on Saturday at Columbia University.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to crackdown against activists and students participating in protests against Israel in American universities (Bloomberg)

In a post on Truth Social, the President said, “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.”

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Trump added that the administration was aware of more such students at Columbia and other universities in America who had engaged in “pro-terrorist, anti-semitic, anti-American activity” and that they would not tolerate such conduct.

He also claimed that several protestors were not students but “paid agitators” who were acting against the nation's domestic and foreign policy interests.

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“We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again. If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply. Thank you!” wrote Trump.

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The US education department on Monday warned around 60 colleges, including Harvard and Cornell, that they could lose federal funding if such protests, deemed antisemitic, were allowed to continue. The Trump administration has pulled $400 million from Columbia University in the aftermath of Khalil's arrest.

Pro-Palestine activist arrested

Mahmoud Khalil, who is a lawful US citizen, was arrested on Saturday by US immigration agents in New York for his role in leading protests against Israel at Columbia University.

He is the first person to be detained for deportation following the Trump administration's warning that protestors who allegedly supported Hamas had forfeited their right to remain in the country.

On Friday, immigration authorities had attempted to detain another international student at Columbia University but had failed as they were not allowed to enter their apartment, reported Associated Press.

A hearing on Khalil's deportation has been scheduled for Wednesday, as he is a legal US resident.

In their legal complaint, Khalil's lawyers accused the government of retaliating against him for his “constitutionally protected advocacy on behalf of Palestinian human rights.”

(with inputs from Associated Press)

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HT News Desk
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