Overview

• Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate, faces deportation based on an obscure immigration law citing adverse foreign policy impacts.
• The government’s case relies solely on a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which accuses Khalil of engaging in antisemitic protests but provides no evidence of criminal activity.
• Khalil’s attorneys argue the case is an attack on his First Amendment rights, targeting him for lawful pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
• The immigration judge in Louisiana is expected to decide today whether Khalil can be deported or released from ICE detention, where he has been held since March 9.
• Legal experts warn the case could set a dangerous precedent for using immigration laws to suppress political dissent and protected speech.