From PBS NewsHour.

Immigration enforcement agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil in "retaliation" for him exercising his free speech rights and participating in pro-Palestinian protests, Khalil’s lawyer, Ramzi Kassem, said Wednesday.

"It is absolutely unprecedented. The grounds that are being cited by the government for purportedly claiming to revoke his green card and putting him in removal proceedings … are vague," he said Wednesday. He also noted that Khalil is a "lawful permanent resident."

Kassem spoke to reporters outside of a courthouse in New York following a procedural hearing where a judge ordered Khalil to remain detained in Louisiana for now.

Khalil was arrested Saturday by immigration authorities, despite having a green card, for participating in protests at Columbia University against Israel’s attacks on Gaza as part of its war with Hamas.

The arrest is part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on antisemitism, particularly on college campuses.

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