The Media Line: US Immigration Judge Orders Deportation of Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil  

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US Immigration Judge Orders Deportation of Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil  

By The Media Line Staff  

An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and US legal permanent resident, deported to Syria or Algeria for allegedly omitting information on his green card application. The ruling, issued by Judge Jamee Comans, was disclosed in court documents filed Wednesday.  

Khalil’s attorneys said they plan to appeal but warned the process would likely move quickly and offer little chance of success. In a letter to federal Judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey, they noted they have 30 days from Sept. 12 to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. They cautioned that further appeals to the 5th Circuit are rarely successful.  

Khalil, a former Columbia University student who organized campus demonstrations, was arrested in March at his Manhattan home. He was detained in Louisiana for more than three months under a rarely used provision of immigration law allowing removal of noncitizens deemed harmful to US foreign policy. He has not been charged with any crime.  

Farbiarz, a Biden appointee, previously blocked deportation on foreign policy grounds and later ordered Khalil’s release, allowing him to return to New York with his wife and newborn son. The Trump administration has since pursued his removal under a different claim: that Khalil withheld details of past employment and organizational ties when applying for residency.  

In a statement, Khalil accused the administration of retaliation. “It is no surprise that they continue to target me for my speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors,” he said.