Judge Contemplates Releasing Detained Columbia University Activist

April 9, 2025 TruthUSA

The immigration judge mandated that the government must present the evidence it gathered against activist Mahmoud Khalil.

On April 8, an immigration judge in Louisiana announced that a decision regarding the government’s obligation to release Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist facing deportation for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests on campus, will be made later this week.

During a hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans instructed the federal government to provide its evidence against Khalil, a 30-year-old legal resident of the U.S., by Wednesday.

If the evidence fails to justify Khalil’s deportation, Comans indicated, “I will terminate the case this Friday.”

Khalil was apprehended by federal immigration authorities on March 8, following protests at Columbia triggered by the 2023 Hamas incursion into Israel and the subsequent military response from Israel. The Syrian national was transported from New York to Louisiana, where he has been held since.

According to government officials, Khalil’s detention is linked to a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that his presence in the U.S. could result in significant adverse foreign policy ramifications.

In a legal brief related to a separate case in New Jersey contesting Khalil’s detainment, the Department of Justice claimed that Khalil failed to disclose essential information when applying for permanent residency, including his previous work with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, his role at the Syria Office of the British Embassy in Beirut, and his membership in Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

Khalil entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2022 and became a lawful permanent resident in 2024 after marrying a U.S. citizen.

The alleged omissions have led to claims that Khalil sought immigration benefits “by fraud or by willfully misrepresenting a material fact,” according to the legal submission.

The New Jersey case remains active, with a judge having recently declined the federal government’s bid to transfer the case to Louisiana. A decision regarding Khalil’s release continues to be pending.

Khalil contends that his arrest violated his constitutional rights, including his First Amendment right to free speech.

In a letter dictated from jail last month, he described his detainment as a “direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza.”

In recent weeks, authorities have also apprehended other international students attending universities in the U.S., including graduate students from the University of Minnesota and Tufts University.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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