Immigration Judge Orders Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria

Lead: A U.S. immigration judge ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil deported to Algeria or Syria on Wednesday, citing his failure to disclose material information on his green card application.

Nut Graf: Judge Jamee Comans’s ruling marks a significant escalation in Khalil’s drawn-out legal battle, intensifying debates over whether the move constitutes political retaliation against campus dissenters and setting the stage for a fast-moving appeals process.

Court Ruling

Judge Comans found that Khalil “willfully misrepresented material fact(s) for the sole purpose of circumventing the immigration process” by omitting past affiliations on his I-485 form.
The decision, issued Sept. 12 and unsealed on Sept. 17, denied Khalil’s request for a discretionary waiver to remain in the United States.

Background

Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, was detained in March under a seldom-used immigration provision after leading pro-Palestinian protests.
He spent over three months in a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, before a federal judge granted bail and blocked his removal on foreign-policy grounds in June.

Next Steps

Khalil’s legal team has 30 days from Sept. 12 to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, then potentially the Fifth Circuit.
His attorneys argue the ruling is “baseless” and amounts to retaliation for his exercise of free speech; they plan to seek stays of removal pending federal court proceedings.

Implications

Civil-rights groups warn the case could chill activism among foreign-born students and set a precedent for targeting political speech through immigration law.
The Trump administration’s continued pursuit of deportation grounds its position in alleged misrepresentations rather than national-security concerns, underscoring shifting strategies in high-profile immigration enforcement.