About 100 people were arrested Thursday as they occupied the lobby of the Trump Tower in New York City to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian Columbia University student held in Louisiana by US immigration authorities.
Actress Debra Winger participated in the protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a New York organization that already staged protests in other local landmarks and describes itself as “the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organisation in the world”.
By the afternoon, police began arresting demonstrators chanting slogans such as “Free Mahmoud, free them all” and “Fight Nazis, not students.” Other chants included “We will not comply, Mahmoud, we are on your side” and “Bring Mahmoud home now.” Law enforcement cited charges of trespassing, obstruction, and resisting arrest in a briefing. Social media posts also documented the demonstration inside the Trump Tower’s gold-accented lobby.
NOW: “Fight Nazis, not Students!” – Protesters chant as they occupy Trump Tower in Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/l6PhT7fj4m
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) March 13, 2025
Among the 250 protesters gathered in the lobby, many donned red t-shirts bearing the slogan “Jews say stop arming Israel.” Debra Winger expressed her disapproval of Trump’s stance on Jewish safety, saying he was “co-opting antisemitism.” Winger added, “I’m just standing up for my rights, and I’m standing up for Mahmoud Khalil, who has been abducted illegally and taken to an undisclosed location. Does that sound like America to you?”
Sonya E. Meyerson-Knox, the communications director for Jewish Voice for Peace, shared footage of the protest and reflected on her personal connection to the issue. “My grandmother lost her cousins in the Holocaust. I grew up on these stories,” she said in an interview. “We know what happens when authoritarian regimes begin targeting people, abducting them at night, separating families, and scapegoating. And we know that it’s one step from here to losing all right to protest, and then further horrors happening.”
We will not comply – Mahmoud we are in your side
300 Jews and friends in Trump Towers bc we know what happens when an autocratic regime starts taking away our rights and scapegoating and we will not be silent
COME FOR ONE – FACE US ALL pic.twitter.com/36fboedMoK
— Sonya E Meyerson-Knox (@S_MeyersonKnox) March 13, 2025
Jewish Voice for Peace issued a statement condemning the detention of Khalil, calling it evidence of a creeping authoritarian regime. The statement read: “As Jews of conscience, we know our history and we know where this leads. It’s on all of us to stand up now.” The organization invoked the struggles of their ancestors, saying, “We call on the strength of our ancestors and we call on our tradition, which teaches us we must never stand idly by.”
Meanwhile, Khalil remains detained in Louisiana. On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that the Palestinian student, who holds a green card, will remain in custody while his case is processed. Khalil was arrested by ICE agents on Saturday and flown to a detention center in Louisiana. Federal Judge Jesse Furman temporarily halted his deportation on Monday, pending further hearings. The judge also granted a request from Khalil’s lawyers to have privileged communication with him, which had previously been denied. Khalil is permitted one phone call a day with his lawyers, but only twice a week.
Khalil, 30, has been accused of sympathizing with Hamas. He was a key organizer of protests at Columbia University following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Khalil, having finished his Masters Degree, was set to graduate in May. He is married to an eight-month-pregnant U.S. citizen.
Khalil’s detention comes under a seldom-used immigration provision that allows the secretary of state to approve the detention of individuals deemed a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Activists view his arrest as a potential precedent for mass deportations of green card holders on questionable grounds.
Khalil’s wife, Noor Abdalla, 28, issued a statement on Wednesday, demanding his immediate release. “My husband was kidnapped from our home, and it is shameful that the U.S. government continues to hold him because he stood for the rights and lives of his people,” she said. “So many who know and love Mahmoud have come together, refusing to stay silent. Their support is a testament to his character and to the deep injustice of what is being done to him.”
