An immigration judge decided on Friday (11) that Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil should be deported, claiming that his presence in the US compromises the country’s foreign policy interests, as stated by his lawyers in a statement.
The decision was issued in Jena, Louisiana, after the Secretary of State Marco Rubio states in a memo that Khalil should be deported, even if his beliefs and statements are “otherwise legal.”
Khalil, who led anti-Israel protests during his postgraduate studies in Columbia, became a symbol of Trump administration’s repression of campus protests in response to Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
He was arrested on March 8 and claims that his detention hurts his constitutional rights to freedom of expression and due process.
“Today, we have seen our worst fears come true: Mahmoud underwent a scrutiny of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing, and an instrumentalization of the immigration law to silence the dissent,” said Marc Van der Hout, one of his lawyers in a statement.
“If Mahmoud can be targeted in this way, simply for manifesting in support of the Palestinians and exercising their constitutional right to freedom of expression, this can happen to anyone in any question that the Trump administration disapproves.”
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Nova Jersey case
Khalil still has a pending case at the Federal Court in New Jersey, where he seeks bail and an order that blocks his deportation.
Their lawyers are contesting the right of administration of non -citizens who comment on Palestinian rights.
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In his two -page memorandum, Rubio stated that Khalil’s presence in the US “could have potentially serious adverse consequences for foreign policy,” an assessment based on “current, or expected past, or expected beliefs, statements or associations that are otherwise legal.”
Rubio claimed that Khalil participated in “anti -Semitic protests and disruptive activities that create a hostile environment for Jewish students”, and that these actions “undermine US policy to combat anti -Semitism.”
President Donald Trump said Columbia should adopt a more rigorous stance against campus anti -Semitism, resulting in a $ 400 million suspension in federal funding.
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Administration also interrupted federal funding for other universities such as Cornell, Northwestern and Princeton, while threatening $ 9 billion in Harvard subsidies and contracts.
The US arrested Khalil on March 8 and repealed their status as a legal resident, transferring it from Manhattan to New Jersey and then to Louisiana in a single day.
Student Protests
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Columbia was the scene of intense student protests after the attack of 7 October 2023, perpetrated by Hamas against Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people. The US classifies Hamas as a terrorist organization. Israel’s retaliation against Gaza and Hamas resulted in the deaths of more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump is considering a legal agreement that would allow a federal judge to oversee the implementation of Columbia measures to combat anti-Semitism.
In addition, the US revoked the visas of other international students who protested against Israel’s actions.
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