The Trump administration has admitted in court that it did not have a warrant when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil.

New documents in a New Jersey court show that the federal government defended its warrantless arrest of Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil by saying agents feared he'd flee because he said he would leave the scene.

Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student who faces deportation, was detained without an arrest warrant last month, according to court documents released Thursday.