Federal Judge Rules Columbia University Protester Mahmoud Khalil Can Be Deported
A federal immigration judge ruled that pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is eligible for deportation following his involvement in organizing demonstrations at Columbia University, according to Fox News.
Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans stated during Friday’s hearing in Louisiana that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had sufficiently proven that Khalil, 30, violated the conditions of his visa, paving the way for his removal under existing immigration laws.
During his hearing, Khalil protested the outcome, saying, "there’s nothing that’s more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness." However, he argued that neither principle was upheld in his case, describing the process as unfair. "This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, 1,000 miles away from my family," Khalil said. He also expressed hope that other detainees waiting months for hearings would receive the same "urgency" shown in his case.
Government attorneys argued Khalil engaged in "fraud or willful misrepresentation of material fact" during his immigration process. Specifically, they claimed he failed to disclose previous employment with the Syrian office of the British Embassy in Beirut, as well as his involvement with organizations such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group.
The court concluded that Khalil was "inadmissible at the time of his adjustment" to permanent residency due to these omissions.
In response, Khalil’s attorney, Sabrine Mohamah, blasted the decision as "as unjust as it is alarming," calling it "a blatant violation of the First Amendment and a dangerous precedent for anyone who believes in free speech and political expression." She also noted that Khalil remains imprisoned in Louisiana, a state with over 7,000 people detained daily in immigration centers—eight of which are privately operated.
"Louisiana’s nine detention centers, including the only ICE facility directly connected to an airport, streamline mass deportations," Mohamah explained.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem weighed in, saying Khalil "hates America." In a statement, Noem declared, "It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. Good riddance." (Link to her X post if found: [insert link]).
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio referenced the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 when responding to a court inquiry, asserting the legal basis for Khalil’s deportation (Link to Rubio’s X post if available: [insert link]).
Khalil’s legal team warned that the government’s stance creates "extraordinary and unprecedented" risks for noncitizens who voice political opinions, especially those supportive of Palestinian rights.
"President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could apply it to any speech supporting Palestinian rights by any noncitizen," the attorneys argued, warning that "many noncitizens across the country—including lawful permanent residents like Mr. Khalil—now live in fear."
In an op-ed titled "A Letter to Columbia," Khalil accused the university of "laying the groundwork for my abduction." Drawing parallels to his experience fleeing Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, he wrote, "The logic used by the federal government to target myself and my peers is a direct extension of Columbia’s repression playbook concerning Palestine."