Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested a second Columbia University student who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, after a third student opted to deport themselves from the U.S.
Leqaa Kordia, who is from the West Bank, had their visa canceled in 2022 “for lack of attendance,” and was detained by the agency for the outdated visa. Kordia was previously arrested in April for their role in the protests.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST DETAINMENT OF PRO-PALESTINIAN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT
“When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport,” Noem continued.
Mahmoud Khalil, who recently graduated from the New York City-based university, is in ICE custody for his role in the protests. However, this had led to some backlash from students, and faculty and even garnered the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, PROFESSORS FEARFUL DEPORTATION THREATS WILL CHILL SPEECH ON CAMPUS: REPORT
“To be clear: The First Amendment does not allow the government to retaliate against anyone for their speech. Ripping someone from their home, stripping them of their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint is a clear attempt by President Trump to silence dissent,” the ACLU’s website states. “And that’s patently unconstitutional. Political speech – however controversial some may find it – may never be the basis for punishment, including deportation.”
The Trump White House nixed $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University, which gained nationwide attention for its encampment that proponents said was in support of Gaza.
President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post that Khalil was “the first arrest of many to come.”
DHS AGENTS SEARCH TWO STUDENTS’ ROOMS AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, LEAVING INTERIM PRESIDENT ‘HEARTBROKEN’
“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,” Trump stated in the post.
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Meanwhile, Indian citizen Ranjani Srinivasan used the new “CBP Home” app to return to the country on March 11 after the federal government took away her student visa on March 5, according to a new release from DHS.
