Washington: The U.S. immigration judge ordered the deportation of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria, asking him to omit his claim that he omitted information from his green card application.
“Here is a further order to evacuate the defendant from the United States to Algeria, or to be an alternative to Syria,” Judge Jamis wrote in the court application.
The immigration judge issued an order on September 12 asserted that Karil’s green card application lacked full disclosure, “not an unknown, uneducated applicant’s supervision… Instead, the court found that the defendant intentionally falsely stated material facts.
Immigration Judge Jamese Comans said Khalil “deliberately misrepresented significant facts with the sole purpose of avoiding the immigration process and reducing the likelihood of his application.” Khalil said in a statement to the American Civil Liberties Union: “It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my freedom of speech.”
“Their latest attempts have revealed their true colors again through the Kangaroo Immigration Court.” Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, married to a U.S. citizen and had a U.S. citizen, was detained by the immigrant for three months and faced potential deportation since March.
A former Columbia University student, one of the most obvious leaders in the nation’s pro-Palestine campus protests, he was released from Custom in June but faces ongoing threats from deportation from federal authorities.
Lawyer appeals to deport
Harrier’s lawyers said they intend to appeal the eviction order, while saying that the separate order of the federal district court is still in effect, prohibiting the government from immediately expelling or detaining him as evidenced by the federal court.
The lawyer filed a letter in federal court in New Jersey, overseeing his civil rights case and said he would challenge the Koemans’ decision. Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian resident of the United States and a Columbia University student, was detained by U.S. immigration authorities for more than 100 days after the Trump administration tried to deport him.
His wife is a U.S. citizen and was pregnant at the time, Khalil missed the birth of the child in prison.
He was released on June 20. Michael Farbiarz, a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey, said at the time, referring to Khalil, who unconstitutionally punished someone for his punishment for civil immigration matters.
President Donald Trump’s administration has cracked down on pro-Palestinian protesters such as Khalil, calling them supporters of anti-Semitism and extremism. Protesters include some Jewish organizations, saying the government has mistakenly equated their criticism of Israeli attacks on Gaza and its attacks on Palestinian territory and its criticism of anti-Semitism and its advocacy of Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
“It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against my freedom of speech,” Khalil said.
“When their efforts to expel me for the first time were about to fail, they resorted to creating baseless and absurd allegations that would make me speak silently and stand firmly with Palestine to demand an end to the ongoing genocide.”
Rights groups have increased freedom of expression and concerns about deportation attempts and due process threats to federal funding that have occurred in protests against universities. Colombia was at the heart of last year’s protests calling for an end to the Israeli war.
Posted in Dawn on September 19, 2025
