US judge allows deportation of pro-Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil

A US immigration judge on Friday allowed the Trump administration to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student whose pro-Palestinian stance has been deemed as harmful to US foreign policy and a threat to national security.

Khalil, an international affairs graduate student, had served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists at Columbia University during protests last spring to condemn Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

He is not accused of breaking any laws during the protests, but the Trump administration has decided to deport non-citizens who participate in such protests and express views deemed “antisemitic” or “pro-Hamas” by the federal government.

Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans said the administration's contention that Khalil’s presence in the United States posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences” was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation. The government had “established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable,” he noted.

According to Khalil's legal team, he told the court that, “I would like to quote what you said last time that there's nothing that's more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness. Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present.”

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Khalil's attorney Marc Van Der Hout argued that the government’s submissions proved that the attempt to deport his client “has nothing to do with foreign policy.”

“Today, we saw our worst fears play out: Mahmoud was subject to a charade of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing, and a weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent. This is not over, and our fight continues,” his lawyer said.

In an undated letter to the court, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that Khalil's activism could hurt Washington's foreign policy. It did not mention that Khalil's views were aligned with Hamas and made no reference to any alleged crime.

In a case registered in New Jersey contesting Khalil's detention the judge had ordered lawyers for both sides to brief him on the outcome of the hearing in Louisiana.

(With AP, AFP inputs)