Mahmoud Khalil could face deportation: Latest
Judge rules Mahmoud Khalil can be deported
A Louisiana immigration judge has ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and activist, can be deported, siding with the Trump administration’s argument that his presence in the U.S. poses a national security risk. The decision, based on a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, does not accuse Khalil of any criminal conduct but alleges his actions during pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia were pro-terrorist and anti-Semitic. FOX 5's Jessica Formoso has the story.
NEW YORK - A judge in Louisiana ruled Friday that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University grad student who joined pro-Palestinian protests, can be deported for being a possible national security risk.
Demonstrations are expected to happen throughout New York City Saturday in protest of the judge’s ruling.
Protests in NYC
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 20: Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and recent graduate of Columbia University, was arrested by immigration officers in New York and sent to a detention center in Louisiana. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
One of the largest protests is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Union Square Park at 14th Street. Organizers are calling for Khalil’s release and say he is being targeted for what they describe as lawful speech and action opposing the war in Gaza.
What we know:
The judge, Jamee E. Comans, said the U.S. government presented sufficient evidence that Khalil’s continued presence in the country could harm foreign relations, meeting the legal threshold for deportation.
Khalil’s lawyers plan to appeal. A federal judge in New Jersey has temporarily halted the deportation while the case proceeds.
Who is Mahmoud Khalil?
The backstory:
Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian by ethnicity who was born in Syria, was arrested back on March 8 in New York and taken to a detention center in Louisiana. He recently finished his coursework for a master's degree at Columbia’s school of international affairs. His wife, an American citizen, is due to give birth this month.
Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil talks to the press during the press briefing organized by Pro-Palestinian protesters who set up a new encampment at Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus on Friday evening, in New York City, Unite
Khalil has adamantly rejected allegations of antisemitism, accusing the Trump administration in a letter sent from jail last month of "targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent."
"Knowing fully that this moment transcends my individual circumstances," he added, "I hope nonetheless to be free to witness the birth of my first-born child."
What is the latest?
What we know:
Facing a deadline from an immigration judge to turn over evidence for its attempted deportation of Khalil, the federal government has instead submitted a brief memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing the Trump administration’s authority to expel noncitizens whose presence in the country damages U.S. foreign policy interests.
The two-page memo, which was obtained by The Associated Press, does not allege any criminal conduct by Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident and graduate student who served as spokesperson for campus activists last year during large demonstrations against Israel's treatment of Palestinians and the war in Gaza.
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Rather, Rubio wrote Khalil could be expelled for his beliefs.
He said that while Khalil's activities were "otherwise lawful," letting him remain in the country would undermine "U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism around the world and in the United States, in addition to efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States."
"Condoning anti-Semitic conduct and disruptive protests in the United States would severely undermine that significant foreign policy objective," Rubio wrote in the undated memo.
Trump administration has new accusations against Mahmoud Khalil
The Trump administration is lodging new accusations against Mahmoud Khalil, alleging that the detained Palestinian activist failed to disclose information when he applied to become a permanent U.S. resident. Plus, Columbia University is on track to recover federal funding. FOX 5 NY's Hayley Fixler breaks down the details.
Attorneys for Khalil said the memo proved the Trump administration was "targeting Mahmoud’s free speech rights about Palestine."
"After a month of hiding the ball since Mahmoud’s late-night unjust arrest in New York and taking him away to a remote detention center in Louisiana, immigration authorities have finally admitted that they have no case whatsoever against him," the attorneys, Marc Van Der Hout and Johnny Sinodis, said in a joint statement.
"There is not a single shred of proof that Mahmoud’s presence in America poses any threat," they added.
Big picture view:
The Trump administration has pulled billions of dollars in government funding from universities and their affiliated hospital systems in recent weeks as part of what it says is a campaign against antisemitism on college campuses, but which critics say is a crackdown on free speech. To get the money back, the administration has been telling universities to punish protesters and make other changes.
The U.S. government has also been revoking the visas of international students who criticized Israel or accused it of mistreating Palestinians.
At the time of Khalil's arrest, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson accused Khalil of leading activities "aligned to Hamas," referring to the militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
But the government has not produced any evidence linking Khalil to Hamas, and made no reference to the group in their most recent filing.