New York – Three months after his release from an immigration prison, the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil faces the growing threat of expulsion for his role in campus demonstrations against Israel.
In the court documents made public on Wednesday, an immigration judge of Louisiana judged that Khalil should be expelled for having omitted to disclose information on his request for a green card.
The decision marked a setback for Khalil, a legal resident and recent student graduated from the University of Columbia who became the first person targeted by the aggressive repression of President Donald Trump against pro-Palestinian activists. But while the decision puts him one more than one last order of withdrawal, he is far from the last word in the case.
For the moment, Khalil remains protected from detention and expulsion within the framework of a separate judicial order. Her legal team said that she intended to appeal to the decision of the immigration judge, which Khalil described as “additional proof of reprisals” as a “kangaroo court”.
Here is an overview of the place where things are in the current legal battle:
What has the immigration judge in Louisiana decided?
The decision of September 12 by the immigration judge, Jamee Comans, is based on his previous order issued in April, who found that Khalil could be forced to leave the country as a risk of national security.
Khalil’s lawyers had challenged this decision, citing its lack of criminal history and close ties with the United States. His wife is an American citizen, just like his 5 -month -old son, who was born while Khalil was in police custody.
Khalil was a leading figure of demonstrations at Columbia University against the war in Gaza, which spread to campuses on a national scale. He was arrested in his building on the campus last March and accused by the Trump administration of supporting the activity of “pro-Hamas”, referring to the Palestinian group who attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Khalil denied the accusation and the federal government repeatedly.
Khalil argued that he was targeted for exercising his freedom of expression, pointing to a service note from the Secretary of State Marco Rubio who justified his arrest on the grounds that his pro-Palestinian beliefs could undermine the American interests of foreign policy.
In her latest decision, COMANS said that she did not have the authority “to question the determinations of foreign policy” and that the limited “family ties” of Khalil with the country did not constitute an imperative reason to renounce its previous decision.
COMANS then took the government of the government on a separate complaint, noting that Khalil had “deliberately distorted” facts on his history at his request for a green card, including his role in a United Nations agency which provides services to Palestinian refugees.
Khalil argued that any omission on demand was not intentional.
What’s going on now?
Khalil lawyers said on Wednesday that they intended to appeal the decision. But they also expressed their concern about their chances of success in the reliable federal court of appeal competence with competence on the case.
If he lost his call, Khalil would be stripped of his status of permanent residence, more restricting his ability to work and travel, according to his lawyers. But the government would still be forbidden to withdraw it under an order of June 11 to a federal judge of New Jersey, Michael Farbiarz.
This order will remain in place while his civil rights affair takes place in New Jersey. He could soon be “the only significant obstacle” to Khalil’s expulsion, according to a letter that his lawyers sent Wednesday to Farbiarz.
The oral arguments in this case could start next month.
Where would it be expelled?
The Coman Judge declared that Khalil would be expelled to Algeria, where he maintains citizenship by a distant parent, or “to alternative Syria”, where he was born in a refugee camp in a Palestinian family.
Khalil’s lawyers said that advertising surrounding his case would leave him in fatal danger if he was forced to return to one or the other country.
Khalil, 30, fled Syria for Lebanon in 2013 after joining the demonstrations against the president of the time Bashar al-Assad. His family has roots to Tiberias but was moved during the mass expulsion of the Palestinians of what is now Israel, according to legal documents.
Khalil said he would continue to defend the Palestinians while his legal battle takes place. He also continued the Trump administration for $ 20 million in damages, alleging that he was falsely imprisoned, continued by malicious and coated as anti-Semitic.
Sending requests by email to the State Department, the White House and the Ministry of Homeland Security have not been returned.
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