Overview

• Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia graduate, was detained in March under a rarely used immigration law targeting his pro-Palestinian views.
• A New Jersey federal judge ordered ICE to permit an in-person meeting, allowing Khalil to hold his month-old son for the first time on May 22 at a Louisiana detention center.
• Khalil's attorneys argue his warrantless arrest and detention are politically motivated retaliation, violating his constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
• The Trump administration seeks to deport Khalil under a 1952 immigration law, claiming his activism threatens U.S. foreign policy interests, though he faces no criminal charges.
• Khalil's case continues with a pivotal immigration hearing, while a federal court restrains his deportation pending resolution of parallel legal challenges.