Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces in the campus’s protest movement, was arrested Saturday. Khalil held permanent residency at the time of his arrest prompting thousands of people to sign a petition calling for his release. US campuses, including Columbia’s in New York, were rocked by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The demonstrations ignited accusations of anti-Semitism and pitted students protesting Israel’s conduct against pro-Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish. US President Donald Trump railed against the student protest movement linked to the conflict in Gaza, and vowed to deport foreign students who had demonstrated. His administration announced Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment. He also threatened to cut off federal funding for institutions that he said were not doing enough to combatAnti-Semitism. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.