Hundreds of protesters staged a sit-in at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Thursday, demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist detained by federal immigration agents over the weekend. Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, the demonstration saw participants chanting “Free Mahmoud” and holding signs such as “Fight Nazis not students” and “You can’t deport a movement.”

Protesters, initially disguised, revealed red T-shirts reading “Stop arming Israel” and “Not in our name” before hanging banners over the golden escalator Trump descended in 2015. Police quickly arrived, removing demonstrators. According to spokesperson Sonya Meyerson-Knox, over 300 attended, with about 100 led away in handcuffs. Video showed dozens being escorted into police vehicles as onlookers reacted with either support or frustration.

Nina Levene, a 60-year-old New Yorker whose mother survived the Holocaust, criticized the protest as “anti-American,” arguing that Khalil was “breaking every rule.” Jewish Voice for Peace countered, calling Khalil’s detention proof of a “repressive, authoritarian regime” and demanding his release.

Mahmoud Khalil.

Khalil, a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate and green card holder, was arrested Saturday by ICE. His attorney, Amy Greer, said he was informed that his student visa was revoked. His pregnant wife described the ordeal as “traumatizing,” stating she was ordered inside their home or face arrest. “Instead of putting together our nursery, I’m left wondering when Mahmoud will call from detention,” she said in a statement.

Khalil remains detained in Louisiana while a federal judge temporarily blocks his deportation. The Department of Homeland Security said he was detained in coordination with ICE and the State Department under Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, alleging he led activities aligned with Hamas. However, no evidence has been provided to support these claims.

A protester narrating the event’s livestream declared, “When you come for one of us, you face us all.”