Despite a stern warning from school authorities, a crescendo of boos were heard Wednesday at Columbia University’s campus, as acting President Claire Shipman acknowledged the absence of their graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil during her commencement address.
Instead of attending graduation, Khalil is fighting his immigration detention and deportation in Louisiana.
A few Palestinian and Israeli flags peeked through the sea of light blue graduation gowns, as nearly 16,000 students marched into the New York City campus at Morningside on a rainy morning ahead of the commencement ceremony. Others were seen wearing keffiyeh scarfs, which have become an emblem of Palestinian solidarity.
“Many in our community today are mourning the absence of our graduate Mahmoud Khalil,” Shipman said. The acknowledgment came a day after Shipman was heckled with loud boos and chants of “Free Mahmoud” during another graduation celebration.
The incident prompted school officials to issue a warning Wednesday morning before kicking off the commencement ceremony, saying they would “not permit the interruption of speakers or audience disruptors.”
Khalil was supposed to attend this commencement celebration as a Columbia graduate student. Instead, he is in a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana getting ready for an immigration court hearing to fight a detention his lawyers have labeled as “unconstitutional” and possible deportation.
A Syrian-born green-card holder, Khalil helped organize pro-Palestinian rallies on Columbia’s campus last year. He was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at his New York City apartment two months ago as part of President Trump’s crackdown on foreign students who are perceived as a threat to U.S. foreign policy.
Before celebrations for Columbia University’s 271st academic year began Wednesday, school official said, “By attending, all participants and guests agree to follow the responsibilities outlines in University policies, including the Rules of University Conduct, Anti-Discrimination and Discriminatory Standards and Discipline. Those found in violation will be asked to discontinue and may be asked to leave the venue.”
With rain intensifying by the minute, Shipman delivered a commencement speech met with mixed reactions from the crowd, as some booed and others cheered.
“I gotta do this,” Shipman said.
In her speech, Shipman spoke about arriving in Moscow as a journalist early in her career during “the final years of the authoritarian state.”
“Censorship was rampant. There were no open forums. You couldn’t say what you want, like people here have the right to,” Shipman said, adding that the experience made her “appreciate our country more than nothing.”
As Shipman spoke these words, the boos began to intensify until it reached a point in which it was all anyone could hear.
“We firmly believe that our international students have the same rights to freedom of speech as everyone else and they should not be targeted by the government for exercising that right,” Shipman said. “Let me also say that I know many in our community today are mourning the absence of our graduate Mahmoud Khalil.”
Cheers from the crowd followed. Later, boos erupted when Shipman culminated her speech.
No major disruptions took place during the ceremony other than the occasional jeers when Shipman or other school officials were mentioned.
The scene reflected persisting tensions in the university, which has been the center of controversy following protests decrying the Israel-Hamas war that started in 2023 and its devastating effects on Palestine’s Gaza Strip — where an estimated 54,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed since the war began. In Israel, some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
Pro-Palestinian groups such as Columbia University Alumni For Palestine, Barnard Alumni Organizing for Justice in Palestine and New York City’s Palestinian Youth Movement organized protests outside Columbia University’s main gates during Wednesday’s ceremony.
Marlene Lenthang and Chantal Da Silva contributed.
