Anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil defended by Columbia University professor following detainment

Columbia University professor Azmat Khan said Sunday that campus anti-Israel protest leader Mahmoud Khalil is a highly respected member of the school community following his detainment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in early March. 

"Imagine what’s happening as people are covering Mahmoud Khalil, this community, a man who is so treasured and beloved among the Columbia community," Khan told MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin. "It’s been really difficult for them."

Khalil, a former Columbia graduate student and U.S. legal permanent resident, was detained by federal immigration authorities and faces possible deportation over his alleged support for Hamas in an arrest following the Trump administration's moves to crackdown on anti-Israel protests.

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Columbia University professor Azmat Khan said that anti-Israel organizer Mahmoud Khalil is a highly respected member of the school community following his detainment by ICE. (MSNBC)

When asked if Columbia students were fearful of arrest or public criticism following Khalil's detainment, Khan, who is also a New York Times reporter, said that they have "good reason" to be scared. 

"Some of our students who have done incredible reporting were put on some of the same websites that, for example, went after Mahmoud Khalil and many of these other students who have been targeted merely for their reporting," the professor said, listing examples of organizations that have reported on student protests at Columbia. 

"So, for example, Canary Mission has gone after student reporters who were only reporting," Khan said. "And if you look at the pages, you will see it only talks about the fact that they were seen filming inside the encampment, no participation in any part of the protests. And yet they’re put on some of these same sites. So, seeing that, this happened as early as just, I want to say, the fall. This was happening in November and December. This has already been happening to student reporters."

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Mahmoud Khalil allegedly played a major role in the protests against Israel at Columbia University.  (Ted Shaffrey, file)

Khalil penned an op-ed following his detainment that he used to rebuke Columbia University's part in his arrest.

The op-ed accuses the institution of "laying the groundwork for my abduction." He goes on to compare President Donald Trump's crackdown on anti-Israel protesters to Columbia's own apathy toward Palestinians, listing other students who have been "snatched by the state."

He also accused Columbia administrators of manufacturing "public hysteria about antisemitism without once mentioning the tens of thousands of Palestinians murdered under bombs made of your dollars."

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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.