U. S. judge orders deportation of Khalil
His lawyers ask for help from district court in NJ
By: Hannan Adely
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... A U.S. immigration judge has ordered Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestinian protest Columbia University, to be deported to Algeria or Syria, according to newly field court documents.
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Judge James Comans denied a waiver to halt his deportation, finding that Khalil misrepresented information on his green card application - allegations Khalil's lawyers said were baseless.
..... The case is playing out both in mitigation court in Louisiana and in federal district court in New Jersey, where Khalil filed a civil rights compliant. His lawyers argued that he is protected from deportation and detention while his case proceeds in federal court.
..... Khalil, a former Columbia student and spokesperson for campus protesters, was arrested March 8 [2025] amid a sweeping crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism in higher education.
..... The Trump administration argued that a non-citizen can be deported for their presence threatens U.S. foreign policy interest, including its fight against antisemitism. Khalil and his attorneys said antisemitism allegations are false and intended to silence criticism of Israel, infringing on the First Amendment.
..... In June, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered Khalil's release, ruling that the government;s attempts to detain and deport him on foreign policy grounds were unconstitutional and retaliatory. Allegations of green card fraud, added after he was detained, still loom. Trump administration attorneys alleged that Khalil omitted key information about his affiliation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Comans agreed.
..... "This Court finds that Respondent willfully misrepresented material fact (s) for the sole purpose of circumventing the Mitigation process and reducing the likelihood his applicate could be denied," Comans wrote in a September 12 [2025] decision. The allegations are "baseless," Khalil's lawyers argued. His six-month UNWRA internship was approved by Columbia for credit and listed on his application, they previously said. CUAD did not have individual members, the said, but rather was a collection of campus groups.
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In a September 17 [2025] letter to Farbiara, attorneys wrote that Khalil was denied a hearing to present evidence on these claims, in violation of due process.
What comes next?
..... Khalil's lawyers said they have 30 days from September 12, [2025] to date of the immigration judge's ruling, to appeal the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The lawyers wrote than their appeal of the decision would go to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which "almost never" grants stays of removal to non-citizens.
..... They asked Farbiarz to intercede in the mitigation judge's ruling and allow new claims of First Amendment retaliation to be added to the federal case.
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Khalil, a Palestinian activist who was born in Syria and holds Algerian citizenship, moved to the U.S. on a student visa in December 2022. He became a lawful permanent resident in November 2023 and is married to a U.S. citizen.
.... "It is no surprise that the Trump administration continue to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech," Khalil said in a statement. "Their latest attempt, though a kangaroo mitigation court, exposes their true colors once again."
..... "When their first effort to deport me was set to fail, they resorted to fabricating baseless o and ridiculous allegations in a bid to silence me for speaking out and standing firmly with Palestine, demanding an end to the ongoing genocide," he added.