Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil's case move to NJ after detention letter
Federal judge moves Mahmoud Khalil case to NJ
A federal judge has ruled that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil can challenge his detention, but his case will now be heard in New Jersey instead of New York. Khalil, a former Columbia University student, was arrested by ICE agents in March for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. FOX 5's Michelle Ross has the latest.
NEW YORK - Following Mahmoud Khalil breaking his silence in a letter from a Louisiana detention center, a New York federal judge has ordered his case be transferred to New Jersey.
Khalil is currently being detained in Louisiana despite his lawyers' petition to have him returned to New York, where his eight-month-pregnant wife resides.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman says the case should be heard in federal court in New Jersey, where Khalil was initially being held, rather than in New York or Louisiana, where he is currently detained.
Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and ICE detainee, claims his detention is a reflection of "anti-Palestinian racism."
What we know:
He was first detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 and taken to a center in New Jersey, where he spent the night. After that, he was flown back to New York and eventually moved to a facility in Jenna, Louisiana.
Officials have argued that the move to Louisiana was due to a lack of available detention center beds in the New York area, as well as a bedbug infestation at the nearby facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The backstory:
Why is Mahmoud Khalil being held in Louisiana?
Judge halts deportation of Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil will remain in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana at least through next week as court battles unfold over where his case should be tried. The 30-year-old activist was arrested on Saturday and quickly transferred to Louisiana, raising concerns from his legal team about access to representation and due process. His attorneys argue he is being targeted for his views on Israel and Palestinian human rights, while federal officials claim his actions on a private college campus went beyond First Amendment protections. FOX 5's Arthur Chi'en has the latest.
Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident married to an American citizen, was arrested in New York on March 8, and later transferred to an immigration detention center in Louisiana where he's been since. The Trump administration is seeking his deportation under a rarely used section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows for removal on foreign policy grounds.
Dig deeper:
A federal judge in Manhattan blocked his deportation for now, ordering that Khalil not be removed while legal proceedings continue. However, Khalil’s legal team has struggled to communicate with him, prompting Judge Jesse M. Furman to order that his attorneys be allowed phone access at least twice last week.
What they're saying:
"What happened to Mahmoud Khalil is nothing short of extraordinary, shocking, and outrageous. It should outrage anybody who believes that speech should be free in the United States," said Ramzi Kassem, Khalil's lawyer.
The other side:
The government says he could not be detained at an immigration facility near where he was originally arrested in part because of a bedbug infestation, so they sent him to Louisiana. Khalil says there was no such discussion of bedbugs and he feared he was being immediately deported.
Mahmoud Khalil to remain detained as lawyers spar over Trump’s plan to deport him
After Khalil’s Manhattan arrest, Judge Jesse M. Furman ordered Monday that the 30-year-old not be deported while the court considers a legal challenge brought by his lawyers, who want Khalil returned to New York and released under supervision. For now Furman is letting Khalil remain in Louisiana. FOX 5 NY's Briella Tomassetti has the latest.
Khalil said in a declaration filed in Manhattan federal court Monday that while he was held overnight at a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, "I did not hear anyone mention bedbugs."
Mahmoud Kahlil letter
Khalil says he is being targeted as part of a larger effort to repress Palestinian voices.
"My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the U.S. has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention," he said.
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Video shows ICE arresting Mahmoud Khalil
New video shows the arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, detained by ICE for his role in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.
"For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand U.S. laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted."
He also compared his detainment to Israel’s, stating: "I see similarities to Israel’s use of administrative detention – imprisonment without trial or charge – to strip Palestinians of their rights."