The New York Police Department has arrested multiple individuals after a group of pro-Palestine activists stormed Trump Tower to protest the immigration detention of a Columbia University activist.

Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old permanent U.S. resident married to an American citizen, was taken into custody outside his New York City apartment on Saturday. Although he has not been charged with any crimes, he is now facing deportation and is being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.

Demonstrators from Jewish Voice for Peace, wearing red shirts with the slogan "Jews say stop arming Israel," gathered in the public atrium on the lower level of the Fifth Avenue building. They held banners and chanted, "Bring Mahmoud home now!"

Police warned the protesters to disperse before arresting 98 individuals who refused to leave. The charges included trespassing, obstruction, and resisting arrest.

President Donald Trump described Khalil’s arrest as the first of many and pledged on social media to deport students involved in what he called "pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity."

The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the demonstration at Trump Tower.

Actor Debra Winger was among those who participated in Thursday’s protest, though she was not arrested. She criticized the Trump administration, accusing it of having "no interest in Jewish safety" and of "co-opting antisemitism."

"I'm simply standing up for my rights and for Mahmoud Khalil, who was illegally taken and transported to an undisclosed location," Winger told The Associated Press, highlighting that Khalil’s attorney was initially unaware of his whereabouts after his arrest.

"Does that sound like America to you?" she asked.

Jewish Voice for Peace, founded in 1996, identifies as a grassroots movement of American Jews working to "end U.S. support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians." It is one of several Jewish organizations worldwide advocating for Palestinian rights.

Protester Sophie Edelhart, a Barnard graduate pursuing a PhD in Canada with a focus on Yiddish studies, described Trump Tower as a symbolic protest site. The building, featuring the golden escalator Trump famously descended before announcing his 2016 presidential bid, was chosen deliberately.

Serving as the headquarters of the Trump Organization, Trump Tower is also where the former president stays when visiting New York. While the skyscraper frequently draws demonstrations both for and against Trump, protests inside the building are less common.

Its multi-story atrium, open to the public, provides access to various businesses, including the Trump Grill.

Supporters of Khalil argue that his arrest is an attack on free speech, prompting demonstrations across the city and nationwide, including a protest outside a Manhattan courthouse during a brief hearing on his case Wednesday.

Columbia University played a central role in last year’s pro-Palestinian protest movement, which spread across U.S. college campuses and resulted in more than 2,000 arrests.