Demonstrators from the Jewish group Jewish Voice for Peace filled the lobby of Trump Tower on Thursday to protest the immigration arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist involved in student protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza. The protesters, wearing red shirts that read “Jews say stop arming Israel,” chanted, “Bring Mahmoud home now!”
The protest escalated as police warned demonstrators to leave the Fifth Avenue building or face arrest. After about an hour, officers began placing protesters in zip ties and loading them into police vans outside.
Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident married to an American citizen, was arrested outside his New York City apartment on Saturday and now faces deportation despite not being charged with any crime. President Donald Trump stated that Khalil’s arrest was the first of many and vowed on social media to deport students engaging in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”
The police had been prepared for the demonstration, with personnel stationed inside and outside the building. Among the protesters was actress Debra Winger, who criticized the Trump administration for having “no interest in Jewish safety” and for “co-opting antisemitism.” She expressed her support for Khalil, stating, “I’m just standing up for my rights, and I’m standing up for Mahmoud Khalil, who has been abducted illegally and taken to an undisclosed location. Does that sound like America to you?”
Khalil’s supporters argue that his arrest is an attack on free speech, and protests have been organized across the city and nationwide. Hundreds demonstrated outside a Manhattan courthouse during a brief hearing on his case earlier this week.
Trump Tower, which serves as the headquarters for the Trump Organization and where the president stays when in New York, is often the site of demonstrations, both for and against Trump. However, protests inside the building are less common. The main entrance leads to a multi-story atrium that is open to the public and connects visitors to various stores and eateries, including the Trump Grill.
Currently, Khalil, 30, is being held in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after a brief stay in a New Jersey facility. He is a significant figure in the pro-Palestinian movement that gained momentum on U.S. college campuses last year, resulting in over 2,000 arrests. Khalil, whose wife is pregnant with their first child, completed his master’s degree requirements at Columbia in December. He was born in Syria and is the grandson of Palestinians who were displaced from their homeland.
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