‘Trump admin crackdown’: Immigration court orders Mahmoud Khalil deportation to Syria or Algeria – Here’s why

Mahmoud Khalil (Image/X)

An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the US, to be deported to Syria or Algeria for allegedly failing to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to court documents filed Wednesday by his lawyers.Khalil’s attorneys indicated they plan to appeal the deportation order but expressed concern that the process would likely be swift and unfavorable.The ruling by Immigration Judge Jamee Comans comes despite a separate federal court order in New Jersey that blocks Khalil’s deportation while the court considers his claim that his detention and deportation are unlawful retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians, as reported by Politico.Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student who helped organize pro-Palestinian campus protests, was arrested on March 8 at his Manhattan residence and detained in Louisiana. He has not been charged with any crime. His arrest was part of the President Donald Trump administration’s wider effort to target foreign-born pro-Palestinian academics legally studying or working in the US.In a letter to New Jersey Federal Judge Michael Farbiarz, Khalil’s lawyers said they have 30 days from September 12, the date of the Louisiana judge’s ruling, to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). They noted that the BIA process is typically fast and that appeals to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals are rarely successful, particularly for stays of removal for noncitizens.“As a result,” the lawyers wrote, “the only meaningful impediment to Petitioner’s physical removal from the United States would be this Court’s important order prohibiting removal during the pendency of his federal habeas case.” They further added that nothing else would preserve his lawful permanent resident status.In a statement, Khalil, originally from Syria, criticized the Trump administration of using ‘fascist tactics’. “It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again,” he said.Earlier this year, Khalil spent more than three months in detention after the Trump administration invoked a rarely used provision of immigration law that allows deportation of noncitizens, even legal permanent residents if the Secretary of State determines their presence harms US foreign policy interests.In June, Judge Farbiarz, a former President Joe Biden appointee, blocked Khalil’s deportation on foreign policy grounds and ordered his release, determining he was neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. Khalil then returned to New York, reuniting with his wife, a US citizen and their newborn son, who was born during his detention.The Trump administration has since pursued Khalil’s deportation on another basis, alleging that he failed to fully disclose his past employment and memberships in certain organizations on his green card application.