A federal judge refused to release Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, marking a setback for the former Columbia University student despite a significant ruling against the Trump administration’s efforts to keep him detained. As a green-card holder and someone not charged with a crime, Khalil remains one of the most targeted individuals by the US government’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism. Despite key rulings in his favor, Khalil has been detained since March, missing the birth of his son.
Khalil’s advocates were hopeful for his release earlier in the week. Judge Michael E Farbiarz ruled that the Trump administration could no longer detain Khalil based on claims that he posed a threat to US foreign policy. Farbiarz stated that efforts to deport him on these grounds were likely unconstitutional. The judge gave the US government until Friday morning to appeal the order, but the Trump administration did not do so. In response, Khalil’s lawyers argued for his immediate release, but the government insisted on keeping him detained in a remote detention facility in Louisiana.
The administration claimed that it was justified in detaining Khalil due to allegations that he lied on his green-card application. However, Judge Farbiarz ruled that Khalil’s lawyers had failed to present enough evidence to prove that detention based on these allegations was unlawful. The judge suggested that Khalil’s attorneys could seek bail from a Louisiana immigration judge.
Khalil’s supporters strongly reject the government’s assertions about his green-card application, arguing that these claims are a pretext to keep him detained. Amy Greer, one of Khalil’s attorneys, stated that his detention was in retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights. She criticized the government’s delay tactics to keep Khalil away from his wife and newborn son ahead of their first Father’s Day as a family.
Khalil had previously disputed the notion that he omitted information on his green-card application. In a filing, he maintained that he was never employed by or served as an officer of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, contrary to the administration’s claims. He also stated that he stopped working for the British embassy in Beirut in December 2022, when he moved to the US.
The ruling prolonging Khalil’s detention came on the same day when a group of celebrity fathers filmed a video reading Khalil’s letter to his newborn son. The campaign, published by the American Civil Liberties Union, called for Khalil’s freedom and included actors such as Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, Arian Moayed, and Alex Winter. Additionally, Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, released a statement expressing her desire for true justice and freedom for Khalil and all Palestinian fathers. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has argued that Khalil must be expelled as his presence would harm American foreign policy, which civil rights advocates see as a crackdown on lawful free speech.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/13/mahmoud-khalil-trump-detention
