Immigration Judge Orders Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil After Fraud Finding

New York, Sept. 17, 2025 - A U.S. immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-Syrian permanent resident and prominent Columbia University protest leader, after ruling he knowingly concealed ties to pro-Palestinian groups on his green-card application.

Khalil’s legal team vowed an immediate appeal, arguing the ruling is a politically motivated attempt to punish his activism against Israel’s actions in Gaza. They filed notice in federal court Wednesday seeking relief from the New Jersey district court that previously blocked his removal.

Deportation Order

The judge concluded Khalil committed “fraud” by failing to disclose associations with UNRWA and Columbia University Apartheid Divest, stripping him of eligibility for a waiver to remain in the United States. Khalil now faces removal to Algeria or Syria, the countries of his birth and heritage, respectively.

  • Khalil’s lawyers have 30 days from Sept. 12 to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, then potentially to the Fifth Circuit, which rarely grants stays of removal.
  • Federal Judge Michael Farbiarz had blocked prior attempts to detain and deport Khalil under foreign-policy grounds, labeling those efforts retaliatory and unconstitutional.
  • Counsel for Khalil described the Louisiana ruling as “highly unusual” and lacking due process, noting the court refused to hear live testimony from his wife on family hardship.

Background

Mahmoud Khalil, an Ivy League-educated graduate student, was arrested in March under a seldom-used provision allowing deportation for alleged harm to U.S. foreign policy. He spent 104 days in detention before a June release order. His case has drawn national attention as a flashpoint over free-speech rights and the Biden administration’s enforcement policies.

  • The judge’s order marks a critical juncture in a fight that pits First Amendment advocacy against restrictive immigration enforcement tactics.