Thursday, March 13, 2025 7:17PM
The NYPD is making arrests at Trump Tower.
NEW YORK (WABC) — Nearly 100 arrests were made at Trump Tower in Midtown after hundreds of Jewish New Yorkers and friends packed into the lobby to protest the arrest and detainment of Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil.
Video taken Thursday afternoon showed officers handcuffing some of the demonstrators associated with Jewish Voice for Peace — an organization that is critical of many of Israel’s policies regarding Palestinians.
There were at least 98 people arrested and they are facing charges of trespassing, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Police say the protesters came in two groups, including many who entered the public lobby area in civilian clothes, hiding their protest gear underneath.
The group also called out the Trump administration.
“He is misusing claims of antisemitism in order to try to divide and prevent people from coming together to stop his authoritarian takeover of our country and his destruction of our civil liberties,” said Jewish Voice for Peace communications director Sonya Meyerson-Knox.
The arrests and protests come as Columbia University is now facing a federal lawsuit following the arrest of pro-Palestinian activist Khalil.
Lauren Glassberg reports from Midtown.
The lawsuit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, claims the university illegally disclosed the records of thousands of students at the request of Congress.
Advocacy groups are suing the university and the House of Representatives, specifically the Committee on Education and Workforce. It’s all over the congressional request to disclose thousands of student records as part of an investigation into antisemitism on college campuses.
“This lawsuit challenges the House committee’s illegal efforts to get disciplinary records, but it also challenges Columbia University’s willingness to become an appendage of the government,” said CAIR’s Kadir Abbas.
It all comes just days after Khalil was arrested by ICE agents for his role in anti-Israel protests on campus. The Trump administration is accusing Khalil of inciting violence and aligning with Hamas — but he is not charged with any crime.
His green card has been revoked and he is being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.
His arrest has sparked protests across the city, all while the Trump administration has threatened more student arrests.
ALSO READ | Judge sets expedited schedule for pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil after ICE arrest
Lauren Glassberg reports in Lower Manhattan.
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