Overview
- The Justice Department urged the Philadelphia-based appeals court to reverse a New Jersey judge’s June order that freed Khalil and barred his removal on foreign‑policy grounds.
- Government attorney Drew Ensign called the lower court’s ruling “indefensible,” arguing habeas in New Jersey was improper and that challenges belong in immigration court in Louisiana.
- Members of the three-judge panel pressed the DOJ on venue, warning against a “black hole of no jurisdiction” when detainees are transferred before location systems update.
- The court issued no ruling and took the case under advisement as Khalil remains out on bail with eased travel conditions requiring brief advance notice.
- Separate immigration proceedings continue in Louisiana, where an immigration judge ordered removal to Syria or Algeria over alleged omissions about UNRWA work, a decision now on appeal, while Khalil’s lawyers pursue First Amendment retaliation claims in federal court.