Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was detained without an arrest warrant, Trump administration says

Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student who faces deportation, was detained without an arrest warrant last month, according to court documents released Thursday.

Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student who faces deportation, was detained without an arrest warrant last month, according to court documents released Thursday.

Khalil, a Syrian-born legal resident and green card holder, was arrested March 8 after returning from an Iftar meal during Ramadan. In court documents, Department of Homeland Security attorneys state that the immigration officers "had exigent circumstances to conduct the warrantless arrest" and that Khalil said he would not cooperate and intended to leave the scene.

Federal immigration authorities said they "believed there was a flight risk and arrest was necessary,” according to the court documents.

Video footage of the arrest shows Khalil cooperating and telling officers, "Yes, I'm coming with you."

He remains in custody at an immigration detention facility in Louisiana.