Judge: Mahmoud Khalil Must Be Deported

A US immigration judge has ordered the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestine activist known for his leadership in campus protests at Columbia University against Israel's military actions in Gaza. The order, issued by Judge Jamee Comans in Louisiana on Friday, directs Khalil—a Palestinian originally from Syria and holding Algerian citizenship—to be removed to either Syria or Algeria, per Al Jazeera. The decision was revealed via court documents released by the ACLU.

The judge contended that Khalil failed to disclose significant affiliations, including his connections to UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees) and a Columbia student advocacy group, on his green card application. This omission, Comans wrote, amounted to willful misrepresentation intended to skirt immigration safeguards. Khalil's legal team disputes the allegations, arguing he's being targeted for his activism and faces dangers if returned to either country. They plan to appeal the ruling before the Board of Immigration Appeals within the 30-day deadline, though they acknowledge that successful appeals are rare in such cases.

Politico notes that the order comes despite a judge's ruling in a federal case in New Jersey that has blocked Khalil's deportation as that court reviews his arguments. Khalil, a former graduate student, was initially detained in March as part of a broader federal crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on US campuses, which included arrests and deportations of other international students. He spent three months in detention before a federal judge ordered his release, deeming the detention unconstitutional and raising concerns about free speech violations. In a Wednesday statement issued by the ACLU, Khalil accused the Trump administration of using "fascist tactics" against him simply for his "exercise of free speech."