Pro-Hamas Leader’s Arrest is Just the Beginning, Says Karoline Leavitt [WATCH]

The White House signaled Tuesday that more arrests are expected following the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born activist and former Columbia University student accused of ties to Hamas.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the administration’s stance on the matter during an interview on Hannity, stating that Khalil’s arrest is the “first of many to come.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detained Khalil, 30, on Saturday after determining that his involvement in a student encampment protest at Columbia University in 2024 was aligned with pro-Hamas activities.

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According to the Associated Press, Khalil’s green card was revoked due to alleged “activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”

Khalil, a graduate of Columbia, served as the “lead negotiator” for a university group that organized an illegal protest encampment in April 2024.

The demonstration escalated into an occupation of a school building, resulting in property damage. At the time, Khalil told reporters that he was a student on an F-1 visa.

During her interview, Leavitt emphasized the administration’s firm position on individuals who enter the U.S. on student visas or green cards and engage in activities that support designated terrorist organizations.

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“You can protest and push Hamas propaganda. You can side with a foreign terrorist organization that has killed American citizens, that has murdered innocent babies, men, women, and children across the globe. Under this administration, that type of activity, siding with radical Islamic terrorists, will not stand,” Leavitt said.

She also pointed to President Donald Trump’s executive order outlining a zero-tolerance policy for foreign nationals who abuse the privilege of studying at American universities while engaging in activities linked to terrorist organizations.

“The Trump administration, at the direction of President Trump’s executive order, has a zero-tolerance policy for foreign nationals who are given the privilege of getting a visa and going to some of our nation’s finest universities and colleges, studying at those institutions, and then siding with these radical terrorist organizations,” she stated.

Leavitt confirmed that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are actively investigating additional students and individuals who participated in pro-Hamas demonstrations.

She noted that the administration has the legal authority to revoke visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

“This arrest that took place on the campus of Columbia is the first of many to come,” Leavitt stated.

“Secretary Noem and Secretary of State Rubio are working together, and I would like to add and emphasize to the mainstream media, who still doesn’t get it, this is well within the president’s and the secretary of state’s authority.”

She further elaborated on the administration’s decision, saying, “Secretary Rubio revoked this individual’s visa based on the Immigration and Nationality Act because this individual clearly poses an adversarial effect consequence to the foreign policy and national interests of our great country.”

While Khalil remains in DHS custody, U.S. District Court Judge Jesse Furman issued an order on Monday preventing his immediate removal from the country until a lawsuit challenging his detention is resolved.

Following Khalil’s arrest, Secretary Rubio reiterated the administration’s policy on X, stating, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported https://t.co/oKba2Mmi3C

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 9, 2025

Meanwhile, protests erupted in New York City’s Washington Square on Tuesday in support of Khalil, with CBS News reporting that an unknown number of demonstrators were arrested.

Federal authorities have not disclosed how many individuals may face similar legal action in the coming weeks.

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