'We cannot protect you': Mahmoud Khalil's Columbia University warns foreign students to avoid Gaza posts amid arrest fears

Columbia University has warned its non-US students against publishing content on social media relating to the war in Gaza and protests against Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil's detention, amid fears that other international students could suffer the same fate.

Stuart Karle, a First Amendment lawyer and adjunct professor, said international students should also refrain from publishing work or social media posts relating to Russia's war in Ukraine - currently a subject of contention in the US.

It comes after Khalil, a Palestinian graduate of Columbia and a leading figure during the university's pro-Palestinian protests, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security without charges in New York on Saturday, following an order by President Donald Trump to revoke his permanent residency.

"If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East," Karle told students at a gathering Pulitzer Hall this week, The New York Times reported.

The warning was also issued to students of the university’s journalism department.

The journalism school's dean, Jelani Cobb, reiterated Karle’s instructions, stressing that the university "cannot protect them" if any student is arrested or detained.

"These are dangerous times," she said.

Khalil is a US green card holder, granting him permanent residency in the country, with his unprecedented detention and proposed deportation sparking outrage in the US.

Trump warned that Khalil’s arrest was the "first of many to come", and pledged to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters at US universities. The US President was also condemned for taunting Khalil after he celebrated his arrest with a social media post that began with "Shalom Mahmoud" on the Truth Social platform.

Without presenting any evidence, Trump said that Khalil has "promoted Hamas", and claims his presence in the US is "contrary to national and foreign policy interests".

However, a US judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked his deportation after obtaining a written order following a hearing in Manhattan federal court, set to allow the judge more time to consider whether the arrest was unconstitutional.

Khalil’s attorney, Diala Shamas, said his legal team was able to speak to him after his procedural court hearing on Wednesday.

While Shamas revealed little information about his condition, she said that Kahlil’s wife, Noor Abdalla, who is eight months pregnant, was "distressed but determined” to fight her husband's "unlawful detention".

Speaking to CNN, Shamas said that the Trump administration is seeking to revoke Khalil's residency simply because "he has opinions on foreign policy they don’t like" and "in retaliation for his protected speech, protected advocacy and for being a Palestinian student on campus".

Abdalla, a dentist from New York, gave a statement to Reuters on Wednesday saying she was "naïve to believe" her husband was "safe from arrest".

"Mahmoud is Palestinian and he's always been interested in Palestinian politics," she said. "He's standing up for his people, he's fighting for his people," she said.

Silencing, deporting pro-Palestinian voices

Pro-Palestinian protests erupted across several US universities in April last year, with Columbia University being the epicentre of such demonstrations. Protesters demanded that institutions divest from Israel and protested against Israel’s atrocities in the Palestinian enclave, which have killed over 61,000 Palestinians.

Hundreds of students were arrested.

Trump has sought to punish the pro-Palestine movement at US universities ever since returning to office in January this year, under a "combatting antisemitism" executive order, which also entails deporting foreign students who took part in the Gaza solidarity protests.  

Earlier this month, the Trump administration cancelled $400 million in federal grants and contracts intended for Columbia University over "antisemitism" allegations, sending shockwaves among higher education institutions in the country.

This week, the Department of Education said it sent letters to at least 60 universities investigating them for violating federal rules "against antisemitic discrimination and harassment".

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused schools on Tuesday of refusing "to help the administration identify people engaged in pro-Hamas activities", as fears continue to mount over the crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism across the country.