REDSTATE | Published March 11, 2025
The Trump administration sent the far-left into an apoplectic rage on Sunday when it was announced they had detained pro-Hamas activist Mahmoud Khalil. The Department of Homeland Security took him into custody with the intent to revoke his green card and deport him after he repeatedly expressed public support for terrorism.
Khalil is originally from Syria and has been one of the leaders of the antisemitic harassment campaign taking place at Columbia University. During the summer of 2024, he helped instigate and organize a group of Hamas supporters who illegally occupied public spaces around the school, becoming one of their chief “negotiators.” Columbia pro-terrorist activists made headlines again recently when they surrounded a Jewish center on campus, screaming for a “global intifada.” Khalil was also filmed participating in a “protest” that took over a library.
As to the legal justification for his detainment, the relevant statute is cited below.
That seems pretty straightforward, but nothing is ever cut and dried when left-wing judges make it their life’s mission to oppose everything the Trump administration does. Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York stepped in to block Khalil’s deportation and ordered legal representation for both sides to appear on Wednesday.
Here’s where things get interesting, though, because it appears the Trump administration may have outfoxed the judge in this case. According to reports, Khalil was moved to an ICE detention center in Louisiana. Why is that important? Because while Furman issued his order based on Khalil’s New York petition for habeas corpus (i.e., that he be released pending further litigation), the law requires that the petition be filed in the federal court district the subject is being held in. If Khalil isn’t in New York anymore, and it seems fairly certain he isn’t, then Furman has no jurisdiction over the case.
Experienced former federal prosecutor and RedState contributor Shipwreckedcrew concurred with that interpretation, saying the following on social media.
It has been speculated about — and I agree — that this was done to deprive SDNY of venue over a habeas corpus petition as those are supposed to be filed in the federal district court where the person is being held.
So good luck with the judges in Louisiana.
It sure seems like the Trump administration just did an end-around a Barack Obama-appointed judge. Whether Furman will acknowledge that is another question. He may try some other administrative gambit to remain involved in the case, though as a non-lawyer, I’m not sure what that would be. For now, though, it seems Khalil’s deportation is very much back on the table.
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SOURCE: www.redstate.com
RELATED: Federal judge temporarily blocks deportation of Palestinian activist
STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS | Published March 11, 2025
- A federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. ICE arrested him for allegedly leading anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.
- The U.S. State Department revoked his green card, and he is being held in a Louisiana detention facility.
- Khalil, who has not been charged with any crimes, allegedly played a key role in last year’s pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
“Following my previously signed executive orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a radical foreign pro-Hamas student on the campus of Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come,” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The U.S. State Department also revoked Khalil’s green card.
A green card holder is a noncitizen who has been granted authorization to live and work permanently in the United States. If a green card holder is found to have been involved in a riot or any criminal activity, they can face legal consequences such as arrest, fines, imprisonment or deportation, depending on the severity of their case.
Khalil has not been charged with any crimes.
What’s next for Khalil?
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Khalil on Saturday, March 8. He is currently being held in a detention facility in Louisiana. His lawyers have filed a motion for him to be returned to New York City, Fox News reports.
“To preserve the Court’s jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise,” the judge ruled Monday, March 10.
What else is happening with Khalil and the university?
The arrest comes just days after the Trump administration revoked $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University over what it calls “the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
Khalil was a graduate student at Columbia University and served as a student negotiator who met with university administrators. He was allegedly a key figure in last year’s pro-Palestinian protests and encampment that erupted on the university’s campus in the spring, The Associated Press reports. Khalil graduated in December 2024.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12.
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