Immigration judge finds that Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported

JENA, La. (AP) — Columbia University postgraduate pupil Mahmoud Khalil tin beryllium kicked retired of the U.S. arsenic a nationalist information risk, an migration justice successful Louisiana recovered Friday during a proceeding implicit the legality of deporting the activistic who participated successful pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The government’s contention that Khalil’s beingness successful the United States posed “potentially superior overseas argumentation consequences” was capable to fulfill requirements for his deportation, Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans said astatine the decision of a proceeding successful Jena.

Comans said the authorities had “established by wide and convincing grounds that helium is removable.”

Lawyers for Khalil said they program to support warring and volition question a waiver. And a national justice successful New Jersey has temporarily barred Khalil’s deportation.

Khalil, a ineligible U.S. resident, was detained by national migration agents connected March 8 successful the lobby of his university-owned apartment, the archetypal apprehension nether President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown connected students who joined field protests against the warfare successful Gaza.

Within a day, helium was flown crossed the state and taken to an migration detention halfway successful Jena, thousands of miles from his attorneys and wife, a U.S. national who is owed to springiness commencement soon.

Khalil’s lawyers person challenged the legality of his detention, saying the Trump medication is trying to ace down connected escaped code protected by the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited a seldom utilized statute to warrant Khalil’s deportation, which gives him powerfulness to deport those who airs “potentially superior adverse overseas argumentation consequences for the United States.”

At Friday’s hearing, Khalil lawyer Marc Van Der Hout told the justice that the government’s submissions to the tribunal beryllium the effort to deport his lawsuit “has thing to bash with overseas policy.”

Earlier this week, Comans challenged the authorities to stock impervious that Khalil should beryllium expelled from the state for his relation successful field protests against Israel and the warfare successful Gaza. She said if grounds does not enactment his removal, she would “terminate the lawsuit connected Friday.”

On Friday, Justice Department attorneys said successful papers filed successful national tribunal successful Newark, New Jersey, that Comans would not person the authorization to instantly escaped Khalil.

They said an migration justice could find if Khalil is taxable to deportation and past behaviour a bail proceeding afterward if it is recovered that helium is not.

Khalil isn’t accused of breaking immoderate laws during the protests astatine Columbia. The government, however, has said that noncitizens who enactment successful specified demonstrations should beryllium expelled from the state for expressing views that the medication considers to beryllium antisemitic and “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian militant radical that attacked Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023.

Khalil, a 30-year-old planetary affairs postgraduate student, had served arsenic a negotiator and spokesperson for pupil activists astatine Columbia University who took implicit a field tract past outpouring to protestation Israel’s subject run successful Gaza.

The assemblage brought constabulary successful to dismantle the encampment aft a tiny radical of protesters seized an medication building. Khalil is not accused of participating successful the gathering concern and wasn’t among the radical arrested successful transportation with the demonstrations.

But images of his maskless look astatine protests, on with his willingness to stock his sanction with reporters, person made him an entity of scorn among those who saw the protesters and their demands arsenic antisemitic. The White House accused Khalil of “siding with terrorists,” but has yet to mention immoderate enactment for the claim.

Federal judges successful New York and New Jersey person ordered the authorities not to deport Khalil portion his lawsuit plays retired successful court.

The Trump medication has said it is taking astatine slightest $400 cardinal successful national backing distant from probe programs astatine Columbia and its aesculapian halfway to punish it for not doing capable to combat what it considers to beryllium antisemitism connected campus.

Some Jewish students and module complained astir being harassed during the demonstrations oregon ostracized due to the fact that of their religion oregon their enactment of Israel.

Immigration authorities person cracked down connected different critics of Israel connected assemblage campuses, arresting a Georgetown University student who had spoken retired connected societal media astir the Israel-Gaza war, canceling the pupil visas of immoderate protesters and deporting a Brown University prof who they said had attended the Lebanon ceremonial of a person of Hezbollah, different militant radical that has fought with Israel.

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Brumback reported from Atlanta. Associated Press newsman Larry Neumeister successful New York contributed.