Columbia Student Mahmoud Khalil Fights Arrest as Deportation Case Moves to New Jersey

A U.S. judge ruled that Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil must stay in the U.S. while his case moves to a New Jersey court. Khalil, a vocal pro-Palestinian activist, was arrested by ICE agents on March 8 outside his Manhattan residence. His legal team argues the arrest violates his First Amendment rights, calling it political retaliation.

Khalil, 30, who obtained a green card in 2023, is accused of threatening U.S. foreign policy under a rarely used 1952 immigration law. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that participating in "pro-Hamas events" conflicts with national interests, though Khalil denies any ties to Hamas. His lawyers insist he was a mediator, not an instigator, during Columbia’s protests.

Initially held in New York, Khalil was transferred to New Jersey, leading to a legal challenge in Manhattan. Judge Jesse Furman denied the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss but ruled that New Jersey has jurisdiction. The Justice Department then moved Khalil to Louisiana, a state under the conservative 5th Circuit Court. His attorneys argue this relocation was strategic to limit his legal options.

Khalil's wife, Noor Abdallah, an American citizen, is eight months pregnant and unable to visit him in Louisiana. His legal team is fighting for his release on bail or relocation to be closer to her.

Calling himself a "political prisoner" in a letter from detention, Khalil awaits the New Jersey court’s ruling. His case has become a test of free speech rights and the government’s power to revoke legal residency for political activism.