US Immigration Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, can be deported on the grounds that his beliefs pose a threat to national security, according to a decision made on Friday. Conans acknowledged that the government provided sufficient evidence through a letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, arguing that Khalil’s activism has the potential to harm US foreign policy, even if the activism is legally permissible.
Addressing the court, Khalil referenced Conans’ earlier statement emphasizing the importance of due process and fairness. He contended that neither of these principles was upheld in his case or throughout the entire legal process. He also pointed out that the Trump administration’s actions led to him being brought before the court, a thousand miles away from his family.
Critics argue that this ruling exemplifies a trend of weaponizing immigration law to suppress dissent. Khalil, a permanent US resident and outspoken pro-Palestinian activist, was arrested on March 8, marking the first such detention under President Trump’s crackdown on Gaza war protesters. He was subsequently transferred to a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, separated from his legal team and his pregnant American citizen wife. Despite no criminal charges, the Trump administration alleges that non-citizens participating in anti-Gaza war protests are antisemitic or “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian militant organization, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US, the EU, and others.
The White House accused Khalil of “siding with terrorists” without providing evidence for this claim. His lawyer, Marc Van Der Hout, dismissed the ruling as a “charade of due process” and accused the administration of wielding immigration law as a tool against dissenters. Plans for an appeal to Friday’s decision have already been set in motion. Federal judges in New York and New Jersey have temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation, pending a review of his claim that the arrest violated his First Amendment rights to free speech.
The broader context is a wave of pro-Palestinian student protests that swept across US campuses over the past year. These demonstrations were in response to the academic and government support for Israel during its ground operation in Gaza, leading to hundreds of arrests. Jewish students and faculty members reported harassment and feeling ostracized due to their faith or support for Israel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration has revoked the visas of possibly more than 300 individuals allegedly linked to pro-Palestinian university protests. Khalil’s case has attracted significant attention, with critics warning of infringements on the right to free speech. Ramya Krishnan, a senior staff attorney at Columbia’s Knight First Amendment Institute, commented that the government’s actions pose a significant threat to immigrants’ freedom, suggesting that no one is safe from such measures.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-judge-rules-mahmoud-khalil-can-be-deported/a-72226013?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
