‘No longer welcome in our great nation’: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 18YO daughter arrested in Colombia

Ramona Sarsgaard was recently arrested in a protest in support of Palestine in the Israel-Palestine conflict at Columbia University. If that name does not ring a bell, she’s the 18-year-old daughter of Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal and niece to Jake Gyllenhaal.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s daughter was reportedly served with a notice to appear in court for criminal trespassing according to Page Six. Just like her mother and uncle Jake, who also attended Columbia University — Ramona, too, followed in their footsteps and is currently a student there. The students marched in the university’s Butler Library donning keffiyehs, which have long been associated with Pro-Palestine protests — partly to try and prevent repercussions for being seen and getting accused of supporting the terrorist group Hamas. But for some protestors, keffiyehs are just to show solidarity with Palestinians.

Regardless, the protests reportedly caused two safety officers to face harm, and for that reason, multiple publications are not showing them any empathy for their cause. Trump’s Swiss Army knife Marco Rubio has already commented on the situation, calling the protestors Pro-Hamas thugs and declaring them “no longer welcome in our nation.” Secretary Rubio has promised to review the visa status of all the trespassers.

We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library.

Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 8, 2025

However, it’s not all black-and-white as it once was. Protesting for a “Free Palestine” no longer invites a mean face from the general American public. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates and even Louis Theroux’s documentary on BBC showcasing life in the West Bank have gone far to create a more nuanced public perception of what exactly is going on in Israel. So Sec Rubio might not get the public support he expects for this move.

And as far as Ramona Sarsgaard getting in trouble with her famous parents — well, that’s complex too. Gyllenhaal is very political in her outlook on life. And while in an interview with TIME magazine all the way back in 2014 she refused to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when discussing her mini-series The Honorable Woman, the show itself was a canvas that shows in this conflict, there are no heroes and villains — just victims. It was moderately received and critically acclaimed at its time, but as years have gone by, it’s perhaps more relevant now than ever.

Celebrity nepo babies have been involved in controversies far much worse than this. Gyllenhaal will probably just deal with this and go back to the post-production of her upcoming movie The Bride.

Gyllenhaal, over the years, has shared her very complicated feelings about sharing her political views as a public figure. She was much more vocal when younger; now she’s silent but very prolific as an artist and would rather people read into that. But she has been clear on one thing — she believes there’s a possibility of reconciliation. Because at the end of the day, these are all people. And the more people argue about this, the more people die.

And as far as the Trump administration’s role in this, trying to silence and intimidate protestors through name-calling and threats rarely works. Especially coming from a man who once called white nationalists “some very fine people.”