Chicago – April 11, 2025
A U.S. immigration judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can continue with the deportation case against Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student from Columbia University and a Palestinian activist. Khalil was arrested last month in New York City.
Judge Jamee Comans, who works at the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana, said she didn’t have the power to stop a decision made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio decided that Khalil should be removed from the U.S. because his presence could cause serious problems with foreign relations. This decision is based on a 1952 law called the Immigration and Nationality Act.
However, the judge’s ruling is not the final decision. Another judge, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, is currently considering Khalil’s case in a federal court in New Jersey. Judge Farbiarz blocked the deportation for now while he looks at Khalil’s claim that his arrest in March violated his First Amendment rights, which protect free speech.
Khalil is well-known for being part of the pro-Palestinian student protests at Columbia University. He was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, has Algerian citizenship, and became a U.S. permanent resident last year. His wife is an American citizen.
This case is important because it involves the Trump administration’s efforts to deport foreign students who support Palestine, like Khalil, even though they are legally living in the U.S. and haven’t been charged with any crimes. The hearing took place in a court inside a jail facility in Louisiana, surrounded by high security.
