A lawyer for the U.S. government on Wednesday said a federal judge in New York does not have jurisdiction to hear a Columbia University student's challenge to his arrest by immigration authorities. The case has become a flashpoint of the Trump administration's pledge to deport pro-Palestinian college activists.

The protests kicked off following the Saturday arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took him into custody at his university-owned residence near Columbia’s

The Trump administration is ratcheting up pressure on New York's Columbia University as it seeks to identify participants in pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year for possible deportation after immigration authorities detained a prominent Palestinian activist.

Mahmoud Khalil's detention appears to be one of the first efforts by Trump to fulfill his promise to seek the deportation of some foreign students involved in the pro-Palestinian protest movement.

Federal agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student who played a major role in last year's protests at Columbia University, students said.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched downtown while a spokeswoman for President Trump said the president had the authority to detain Mahmoud Khalil.

The arrest of a Columbia University graduate student and activist over the weekend has put a spotlight on First Amendment and immigration rights.

Students gathered in New York City's Washington Square Tuesday to protest the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this past weekend.