Federal Court to Hear Case of Columbia Student Mahmoud Khalil Detained Over Pro-Palestinian Protests

A federal court hearing in Manhattan is set to address the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and permanent U.S. resident, who was arrested by immigration enforcement agents on Saturday for his participation in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Khalil, who completed his master's degree in December, is being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana. His detention follows a wave of protests last year, during which over 2,000 people were arrested. The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows deportation on foreign policy grounds. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Khalil is accused of supporting Hamas and anti-Israel activities, which the administration considers a threat to national security. President Donald Trump described Khalil’s arrest as the first of many targeting individuals involved in 'pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activities.' Khalil’s lawyers argue that his detention is an unconstitutional retaliation against his free speech. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman has temporarily blocked Khalil's deportation while the legal challenge proceeds. Khalil’s attorneys are pushing for his release under supervision and for him to be brought back to New York. The government, however, plans to argue that the Southern District of New York is not the proper venue for the case. This case has become a focal point of the Trump administration’s broader immigration policy. Khalil, born in Syria and a grandson of displaced Palestinians, holds a green card and is married to a U.S. citizen who is expecting their first child.