Pro-Palestinian Activists Occupy Trump Tower Lobby in Protest of Mahmoud Khalil Arrest

Roughly 150 Pro-Palestinian activists occupied the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday. The protesters showed support for Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian Columbia University activist who was arrested and threatened with deportation.

The Details: The group of protesters, led by a Jewish group, are demanding the release of Khalil, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and could be deported to Egypt. The group accuses the Trump administration of unfairly targeting Khalil due to his pro-Palestinian activism.

For Context: Khalil, an Egyptian immigrant who is in immigration custody in Louisiana, is a permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen, and has not been charged with breaking any laws. Trump has previously promised to deport foreign born activists through an executive order. 

How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) focused their coverage on the fact that the protesters were supporting Khalil, highlighting his arrest by ICE. They depicted the protesters as "agitators" and included quotes from politicians that Trump should press charges. The Associated Press (Left) chose to underscore the Jewish identity of many of the protesters, contextualizing the protest within a larger narrative of Jewish support for Palestinian rights. Similarly to AP News, Reuters (Center) suggested that Khalil’s arrest was part of a larger plan to deport foreign born activists. 

Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission.