GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A rally held in downtown Grand Rapids this week sought to support Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by the U.S. government for his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations last spring.
Earlier this month, Khalil, a 30-year-old legal U.S. resident married to an American citizen, was arrested by federal agents on March 8. The agents claimed they were executing an order to revoke his green card. This incident marks the first publicly known deportation effort under President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on students participating in protests against the war in Gaza.
Khalil has since filed a lawsuit challenging his detention, arguing that his rights were violated. Reports also surfaced of another Columbia University protester, Leeqa Korda, who was arrested for allegedly overstaying her visa.
In response to these events, a group gathered Wednesday in downtown Grand Rapids to show solidarity with Khalil and Korda, and to protest the renewed violence in Gaza.
Wren Burns, an organizer with Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, explained the purpose of the rally. “This week we called a rally to rally around the students from Columbia, Mahmoud Khalil and Leeqa Korda,” she said. Burns emphasized that the demonstration aims to uphold the freedom of expression: “We say we live in a country where we have the freedom to express what we believe, to say what we think, and to speak our values and call attention to injustice that should not be an exception for people who are like these students.”
The group chanted phrases such as "hands off the Middle East" and "free Palestine," asserting that protesting is not a crime. However, counter-protesters claimed that the arrests stemmed from legal grounds. Daveed Ben-Avraham stated, “There weren't students arrested for protesting; there were green card holders who were arrested for support of a terrorist organization. Legally they can be deported for that.”
Khalil is a permanent legal U.S citizen and Columbia University graduate. While Korda did allegedly overstay her visa, students like Jessica Plichta are worried for what this could mean in the future.
"As a student, I think it's very threatening to other students who are organizing on campuses speaking out for Palestine. We already see our DEI being targeted on campuses, and I think they're heavily going after pro-Palestine and Palestinian activists on campus,” Plichta stated.
The rally also addressed concerns over the recent escalation of violence in Gaza following the breakdown of a ceasefire. Burns added, “It's terrifying to see people who have just recently returned to their homes now being carpet bombed with leaflets telling them to leave and there's just nowhere for them to go.”
Pro-Israel demonstrators acknowledged the harsh realities of wartime, with sentiments that “unfortunately, wars do have civilian casualties; it sucks; it is bad.”
Despite differing views, the demonstrators in Grand Rapids remain resolute in their efforts. Wrens remarked, "For me and for most people that come out ... we're doing this because we have to. It's a responsibility and an obligation," Plichta emphasized. "This issue is not going away. The genocide is not going away unless we stand up and do something, and that's a duty that we all have.”
The rally serves as a testament to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict and the implications for students and residents involved in activism.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
