Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University grad student, is facing deportation after participating in campus protests against Israel. Here’s a point-by-point breakdown of what’s going on:
Who Is Mahmoud Khalil?
- A 30-year-old Palestinian graduate student studying international affairs at Columbia University became a known face during campus protests over Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the Associated Press reported. Khalil reportedly served as a negotiator and spokesperson for students protesting at Columbia’s encampment last spring.
The Arrest
- Khalil was detained by U.S. immigration authorities on March 8 in the lobby of his university apartment and is currently being held in an immigration detention center in Jena, Louisiana, away from his legal team and pregnant wife, who is a U.S. citizen, the report said.
Why Is He Facing Deportation?
- According to the report, Khalil is a legal U.S. resident and hasn’t been accused of any criminal activity. Immigration authorities, however, have reportedly argued that non-citizens who participate in demonstrations expressing “pro-Hamas” or antisemitic sentiment should be deported.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited a rarely used statute, allowing deportation of individuals who may cause “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
The Ruling
- Judge Jamee E. Comans ruled on Friday that Khalil is removable under U.S. immigration law.
- The judge agreed with the government that his presence in the U.S. posed potential harm to foreign policy interests, the report said.
- However, previous court orders in New York and New Jersey have temporarily blocked deportation while his case proceeds.
What’s Next?
- According to the AP report, Khalil’s legal team is planning to:
- Appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
- Possibly pursue asylum, and
- Seek a waiver by April 23 to delay further action.
- His lawyer, Marc Van Der Hout, reportedly called the ruling a “charade of due process” and a “weaponization” of immigration law to suppress dissent.
Mahmoud Khalil’s case comes just days after a Georgetown scholar was arrested reportedly for anti-Israel speech. Reports also emerged of student visas getting cancelled for some protesters under the new Trump administration. Earlier, a Brown University professor was deported over alleged links to Hezbollah.
