AP photoMahmoud Khalil: In His Own WordsMahmoud Khalil , the 30-year-old Palestinian-Syrian activist, arrested by ICE agents has been working for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for four years while pursuing his graduate degree at Columbia University . New information about his background before becoming a student leader in last spring’s disruptive campus protests has surfaced.Born in 1995, Khalil grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. After fleeing to Lebanon during the civil war, he earned a computer science degree and later worked at the UK embassy’s Syria office in Beirut. From June to November 2023, he worked for UNRWA.Before working for UNRWA, Khalil held a senior position at the UK’s Syria office in Lebanon, which would have required a strict background check and "rigorous security clearance," according to Andrew Waller, a former colleague of Khalil who spoke to The Guardian. Khalil’s attorneys on the other hand claim his detention violates his First Amendment right to free speech, calling it “retaliation” by the Trump administration for his political views.

Source: The Times March 16, 2025 11:52 UTC