Khalil protesters fill up Trump Tower

Protesters opposed to the detention of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil filled up Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday. 

The protesters, from the progressive, anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace, chanted “bring Mahmoud home now” while wearing red shirts reading “Jews say stop arming Israel” and holding banners. 

Police warned the protesters to leave the building on Fifth Avenue or be arrested, and they then put them into zip ties and loaded them into police vans about an hour after the protest began, The Associated Press reported. 

A statement from the group said more than 300 Jewish New Yorkers and allies, including rabbis, descendants of Holocaust survivors and celebrities, took part in the protest. It said the shirts also read "Not in Our Name" and the banners stated "Jews say Free Mahmoud & Free Palestine" and "Fight Nazis Not Students."

"As Jews of conscience, we know our history and we know where this leads. This is what fascists do as they cement control. This moment requires all people of conscience to take bold action to resist state violence and repression. Free Mahmoud now," said Jane Hirschmann, a Jewish New Yorker whose grandfather and uncle were taken by the Nazis during the Holocaust, in the statement.

Jewish Voice for Peace has been outspoken in support of Palestinian rights as well as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and sharply critical of U.S. aid for Israel.  

Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who is a legal permanent resident of the U.S. in the country on a green card, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since Saturday. 

The Trump administration has moved to revoke Khalil’s green card on the basis of its accusations that he has advocated for Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. His detention has caused a significant uproar particularly on the left, with many progressive officials calling for his immediate release. 

Defenders of Khalil have argued that his arrest is a violation of civil rights and free speech. President Trump has said Khalil would be the first arrest of “many to come” and compared him and others to “terrorist sympathizers.” 

After Khalil was detained, a federal judge issued a motion to prevent him from being deported for now and held a hearing Wednesday to hear procedural arguments on the case. At the hearing, prosecutors argued for moving the case from New York to New Jersey or Louisiana, where Khalil has been held since being detained. 

Hundreds of protesters rallied against Khalil’s arrest outside the courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday. 

Attendees at the Thursday protest included actress Debra Winger and New York City Council member Alexa Aviles.

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated at 1:54 p.m. EDT