Columbia University issued suspensions, expulsions, and temporary degree revocations to students connected to the April 2024 occupation of Hamilton Hall, as ICE agents reportedly arrested a second Palestinian Columbia student on Friday.

Mahmoud Khalil’s case represents a horrifying precedent, but it is not developing in a vacuum. The Trump administration’s unprecedented assault on Khalil is one of many efforts to stifle dissent and stave off justice for Palestine.

Helyeh Doutaghi was placed on leave by Yale Law School after being falsely accused of “terrorism” over her support for Palestine. She says her case reflects the new era of Zionist McCarthyism and that this repression reveals an empire in decline.

In a hearing in New York City on Wednesday, Mahmoud Khalil’s attorney’s said they have not been allowed to have contact with him since his detention. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s rationale for detaining Khalil continues to change.

They can deport every last one of us, but they cannot erase the spirit of Palestinian resistance. That is what they fear.