New York, New York - Immigration officers arrested a Columbia University student leading protests against Israel destruction of Gaza, authorities said Sunday, after President Donald Trump vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student demonstrators.

Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces of the university's protest movement that erupted in response to Israel's conduct of the war, was arrested on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X.

The agency said the action was taken "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State."

The Student Workers of Columbia Union said in a statement that Khalil had been detained on Saturday, describing him as "a Palestinian recent Columbia graduate and lead negotiator for last spring's Gaza solidarity encampment."

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US campuses, including Columbia's, were rocked by protests against Israel's mass killing of Palestinians, enabled by full US backing. Politicians and administrators encouraged a violent police crackdown on the overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations, citing antisemitism, despite the fact that many organizers and participants were themselves Jewish.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that "we will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported."

Khalil, who remains in immigration enforcement detention, held permanent residency at the time of his arrest, prompting thousands of people to sign a petition calling for his release, the student union added.

"We are also aware of multiple reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accessing or attempting to access Columbia campus buildings on Friday and Saturday, including undergraduate dorms," it said.

Columbia did not directly address Khalil's arrest in response to inquiries, but in a statement said "there have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus."

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"Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings," Columbia said.

Some faculty members slammed the university's muted response.

In its post on X, the DHS said Khalil "led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization," without further details.

Trump railed against the student protest movement and vowed to deport foreign students who had demonstrated.

He also threatened to cut off federal funding for institutions that he said were not doing enough to repress the movement in solidarity with Palestine.

His administration announced Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.