Mayor Adams, requested Monday for his views on the the politically explosive difficulty of former Columbia grad scholar Mahmoud Khalil being detained by federal immigration authorities for his pro-Palestinian activism, provided a perplexing response:
A reporter requested for clarification. Was Adams suggesting Khalil might need had a weapon? There was no proof or info popping out of ICE or the Trump administration indicating something of the type.
The mayor didn’t reply, laughing in response to at least one follow-up, although spokesperson Liz Garcia later stated the mayor was not attempting to counsel Khalil had a gun, nor does he have any info to that impact.
Garcia stated it was attainable Adams had not clearly heard the reporter’s query and that he wasn’t speaking particularly about Khalil.
“He wasn’t actually speaking to the situation, he was making an off-the-cuff comment about a question that he had heard,” Garcia stated, including that Adams “made the question about guns” to align with the subject of the press convention.
A protester raises indicators throughout an indication in assist of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil exterior Columbia College, Monday, March 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura)
Since Khalil’s case is a federal civil enforcement matter, the town has not acquired a lot details about the case, she stated.
Khalil, a inexperienced card holder, was arrested by federal immigration brokers for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests and is now being detained in Louisiana. He’s believed to be the primary particular person singled out by the Trump administration in its promise to deport worldwide college students who protested towards Israel’s actions in Gaza.
His arrest has set off intense outrage, with protesters gathering exterior the ICE New York Metropolis Discipline Workplace on Monday afternoon to demand his launch from custody.
