NYPD Arrests Mob of Protesters Flooding Trump Tower Over ICE Detention of Pro-Hamas Student Who Led Campus Riots

Pro-Mahmoud Khalil Protesters Clash with NYPD in Dramatic Trump Tower Standoff

Chaos erupted in Midtown Manhattan today as the New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested nearly 100 protesters who stormed the lobby of Trump Tower, demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstrators, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), flooded the iconic Fifth Avenue building on Thursday, in an unlawful show of support for Khalil, who led “pro-Hamas” activities during campus riots at Columbia University last year.

Chaoes & Lawlessness

The protest turned Trump Tower’s gleaming lobby into a battleground of chants and banners, with messages like “Free Mahmoud, Free Palestine” and “Fight Nazis, Not Students” unfurled by the red-shirted activists. According to reports, the demonstrators arrived in two waves—some slipping through a side entrance, others blending in with regular visitors before revealing their protest gear. The NYPD moved swiftly to detain 98 individuals on charges including trespassing, obstruction, and resisting arrest. No injuries or property damage were reported, but the scene highlighted how a small percentage of people in our nation are still bent on chaos and lawlessness.

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Khalil, a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate and green card holder, was arrested by ICE on Saturday at his university-owned apartment. Khalil was a key organizer in last year’s pro-Palestinian campus protests—vandalizing school property and terrorizing students —aligns him with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. President Donald Trump has branded Khalil a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student” on social media, vowing his arrest is “the first of many to come” in a broader crackdown on terrorist sympathizers. No criminal charges have been filed against Khalil as he remains detained in Louisiana. His supporters argue this is a blatant attack on free speech.

The Trump Tower demonstration, livestreamed by JVP, featured hundreds of activists—described by one narrator as “over 200 Jews and friends”—packing the lobby. Their chants of “Bring Mahmoud home now!” echoed through the atrium as police issued warnings to disperse. Among the protesters was actor Debra Winger, who accused the administration of “co-opting antisemitism” for political gain. “I’m standing up for Mahmoud Khalil, who has been abducted illegally,” Winger told reporters, sidestepping arrest herself. “Does that sound like America to you?”

National Security Threat

Khalil is being held at an immigration facility in Louisiana. A federal judge temporarily blocked his deportation on Monday, pending a legal challenge asserting that ICE violated his constitutional rights. His attorneys argue the government is retaliating against protected speech, while the Department of Homeland Security insists his arrest protects are national interest- tying Khalil directly to Hamas. Khalil is believed to be a national security threat, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio promising to revoke visas and green cards of “Hamas supporters.” 

ThriveNews.co will continue to monitor this developing story.