White House says Sec. of State Rubio has the right to revoke green card or visa of Hamas supporter

Mahmoud Khalil organized campus protests that included activists occupying buildings, disrupting classes, and harassing Jewish and Israeli students.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has the authority to revoke the visa or green card of Mahmoud Khalil, a supporter of Hamas at Columbia University.

Leavitt cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, which states that the secretary of state has the right to revoke a green card or visa for individuals who are “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States of America,” and that Khalil fits this description.

She said, “Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was granted the privilege of coming to this country to study at one of our nation’s finest universities. He took advantage of that opportunity by siding with terrorists, Hamas terrorists, who have killed innocent men, women, and children.”

Leavitt added, “This individual organized group protests that not only disrupted college classes and harassed Jewish American students, making them feel unsafe on their own campuses, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda flyers bearing the Hamas logo. That is the behavior and activity he engaged in.”

“This administration will not tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans,” Leavitt said. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists. Period.”

Khalil was arrested on Saturday evening, and immigration officials confirmed that deportation proceedings have been initiated against him.

Khalil, who was a graduate student at Columbia until December 2024, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at his New York apartment over the weekend.

The Syrian-born student, who earned his undergraduate degree in Lebanon, was a leader in violent anti-Israel protests on campus. These protests included activists occupying buildings, disrupting classes, and harassing Jewish and Israeli students.

Khalil was involved in an unauthorized march held shortly after the October 7 terror attack, which glorified the Hamas-led massacres, according to the New York Post.

He also served as a key organizer between anti-Israel students committing illegal acts, including assaulting custodial workers during their takeovers of campus buildings, and the Columbia administration.