Khalil isn’t accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists. He wasn’t among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics.

JENA, La. — (AP) — Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was released Friday from federal immigration detention, freed by a judge's ruling after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests.

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, marking a blow to the Trump administration's efforts to keep him in immigration detention in connection with his pro-Palestinian activism.