Mayor Adams, requested Monday for his views on the the politically explosive challenge of former Columbia grad pupil Mahmoud Khalil being detained by federal immigration authorities for his pro-Palestinian activism, supplied a perplexing response:
A reporter requested for clarification. Was Adams suggesting Khalil may need had a weapon? There was no proof or data popping out of ICE or the Trump administration indicating something of the kind.
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 data to that impact.
Garcia stated it was doable 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 illustration in help of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil outdoors Columbia College, Monday, March 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura)
Since Khalil’s case is a federal civil enforcement matter, 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 in opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
His arrest has set off intense outrage, with protesters gathering outdoors the ICE New York Metropolis Discipline Workplace on Monday afternoon to demand his launch from custody.
