WASHINGTON (TNND) — A former graduate student at Columbia University with a green card has been arrested and threatened with deportation, as his wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant, stood by his side. Mahmoud Khalil is the first student who participated in Pro-Palestinian protests to be arrested under the Trump Administration for his previous actions.

Within hours, he filed a petition claiming there was “no basis” for his arrest.

His attorney Amy Greer is accusing the U.S. government of "open repression of student activism and political speech."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on Twitter that his visa and green card and those of other "Hamas supporters" will be revoked. It appears to be part of President Trump’s executive order to combat antisemitism, which he signed a few days into his Presidency.

On Monday, in a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump called him a “radical foreign pro-Hamas student” saying it was the “first arrest of many to come."

Friends of Khalil dispute claims he was anti-Semitic or supported terrorism, insisting he was a mediator and peacemaker on campus.

Now there are growing fears that any criticism of Israel’s government or policies could put targets on others.

In an interview with The National News Desk Monday, Joseph Hawley, an associate professor at Columbia University, said, "It’s very clear that these people who are screaming about antisemitism and accusations of terror against a very broad and diverse protest movement are not interested in keeping any Jew safe or anyone safe. They’re interested in crushing dissent and in this case they’re interested in punishing higher education."

The Trump administration also recently canceled $400 million in grants and contracts with Columbia University for failing to combat harassment of Jewish people on campus.

Columbia University has now restricted access to its campus as well as nearby Barnard College. They are increasing security measures due to "active concerns for violence.”