Mr. Khalil, who helped lead protests at Columbia University against civilian casualties in Gaza, was arrested by immigration officers and sent to a detention center in Louisiana.

The case of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian protester arrested by ICE officers at Columbia University over the weekend, has divided Jewish groups: Right-wing pro-Israel voices are praising the arrest as a blow to a terrorist sympathizer, while a range of liberal and progressive Jewish groups are slamming it as authoritarian and unconstitutional.

The Columbia University graduate had a key role in student protests over Gaza. Trump said his arrest was the first of "many to come".