Feds Say Columbia Student Covered Up Past Employment At UN Agency Embedded With Alleged Hamas Operatives

The federal government is accusing a detained Columbia University student of not being completely forthcoming on his United States visa application.

Mahmoud Khalil did not disclose that he previously worked as a political affairs officer for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in his application for legal permanent residency, according to court documents filed by federal prosecutors. The notorious UN agency, which has long been accused of ties to Hamas, allegedly employed numerous individuals that took part in the Oct. 7 massacre that left roughly 1,200 people dead.

Prosecutors say he not only failed to mentioned his past employment as a UNRWA political affairs officer in his green card application, but also did not disclose his past role as a programs manager for the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, or his affiliation with the anti-Israel student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

“Regardless of his allegations concerning political speech, Khalil withheld membership in certain organizations and failed to disclose continuing employment by the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut when he submitted his adjustment of status application,” the administration’s lawyers wrote in a court brief dated Sunday. “It is black-letter law that misrepresentations in this context are not protected speech.”

“Thus, Khalil’s First Amendment allegations are a red herring, and there is an independent basis to justify removal sufficient to foreclose Khalil’s constitutional claim here,” prosecutors continued.

The Trump administration is attempting to deport Khalil, a leader of the anti-Israel protests that swept Columbia University, arguing that he spearheaded activities aligned to Hamas.