ICE Arrests Columbia Protest Leader After State Dept Revokes Visa, Green Card; Judge Temporarily Halts Deportation

ICE detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia protest leader, after the State Department moved to revoke his student visa and green card under foreign-policy grounds tied to alleged Hamas alignment. The arrest sparked protests and criticism from Democrats and free-speech advocates, while immigration experts argue DHS and State have broad authority to remove non-citizens without criminal charges. A federal judge issued a temporary block on deportation as litigation proceeds. The case sits within a broader pattern of administrative deportation tools used against foreign student activists.