Columbia University Students Protest ICE Detention of Mahmoud Khalil by Chaining Themselves to School Gate

Students chained themselves to the gates of Columbia University on Wednesday to demand accountability from university trustees after the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil.

Several Columbia University students chained themselves to a campus gate in protest of Mahmoud Khalil’s detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstration took place outside Columbia’s St. Paul’s Chapel on Wednesday afternoon, with students demanding that the university disclose the names of trustees who they believe provided Khalil’s information to ICE.

The Columbia Palestine Solidarity Committee publicly declared its commitment to the protest, stating, “We will not leave until our demand is met.” Protesters held signs and chanted slogans, calling for Khalil’s release and accountability from the university. A large poster was draped over a nearby overpass reading, “Free Mahmoud Khalil. Name the trustees.”

The university later said no member of its “leadership or the board of trustees has ever requested the presence of US Immigration and Customs (ICE) agents on or near campus.”

A Columbia University spokesperson confirmed that public safety officers removed the individuals chained to the gate after approximately two hours. "We are monitoring a disruption at the gate of St. Paul’s Chapel involving approximately four individuals chained to a gate, which constitutes violations of the Rules of University Conduct. Individuals complied with the demand for identification but refused to leave the area. The chains were removed by Columbia’s Public Safety, and the individuals were escorted off campus,” the spokesperson stated.

The university emphasized that its leadership and board of trustees had not requested the presence of ICE agents on or near campus. “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,” the statement read.

A spokesperson for Columbia University said the institution’s public safety officers removed the individuals chained to the gate on campus after around two hours.

After being removed from the gate, protesters continued their demonstration just outside, linking arms and vowing to remain until the university identified the trustee allegedly involved. The New York Police Department reported that approximately 80 protesters were present outside the chapel gates.

Khalil, a leader in the Columbia University anti-Israel encampment in the spring of 2024, was detained by ICE agents in New York City in early March. The Department of Homeland Security alleged that Khalil had led activities connected to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. Khalil, originally from Syria, arrived in the United States in 2022 and became a permanent resident in 2024.