Overview
- Judge Jamee Comans ruled on April 11 that the U.S. government provided sufficient evidence to deport Mahmoud Khalil under a rarely used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- The ruling cites a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleging Khalil's activism fosters antisemitism and disrupts U.S. foreign policy, despite no criminal charges against him.
- Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and lawful permanent resident, has been detained since March 8 and remains in a Louisiana detention center far from his family and legal team.
- His attorneys argue the deportation violates First Amendment protections and due process, framing it as a politically motivated effort to suppress dissent.
- Federal courts in New York and New Jersey have temporarily blocked Khalil's deportation while legal challenges proceed, with an appeal deadline set for April 23.