Dozens of protesters marched to Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to protest the arrest and detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration wants to deport for his pro-Palestinian activism.
Khalil, who remains in immigration custody in Louisiana since his arrest last Saturday in New York, has attracted sympathy from Democratic lawmakers, human rights campaigners, and the United Nations special rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian territories.
It was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a liberal anti-Zionist organization, which announced on X that it was “taking over Trump Tower to register our mass refusal.” The organization claimed the Trump administration was targeting Palestinians and activists fighting against Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza.
Trump Tower, along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, is home to the Trump Organization and also a residence of former President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and their son, Barron.
The New York Police Department estimated that a minimum of 150 protesters attended, with photos on social media depicting demonstrators holding signs that read, “FIGHT NAZIS NOT STUDENTS” and “FREE MAHMOUD FREE PALESTINE.” Video captured police officers arresting people inside the building. The NYPD later confirmed that 98 individuals had been arrested.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Kaz Daughtry informed Fox News that protesters were evacuated without any injuries. Trump Organization was not available for comment.
Khalil, an American US legal permanent resident, was a key member of Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian student movement. Khalil’s arrest is the opening salvo for the Trump administration’s vow to deport foreign-born activists who played a part last year in university protests condemning Israeli military intervention in Gaza. On social media, Trump branded Khalil a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student,” affirming his detention would be “the first of many.
