🔗 Share this article

An immigration judge in Louisiana has ruled the removal of Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil to either Algeria or alternatively Syria, declaring that he failed to fully disclose required details on his green card petition, according to legal records.

Appeal Response and Federal Protection

His legal team stated they intend to appeal the deportation ruling and emphasized that a federal court’s separate directives currently prohibit the authorities from immediately deporting or detaining him while his civil rights case continues.

“This is no surprise that the government continues to act against me for exercising my right to expression,” he commented in a response. “Their recent effort, through a unjust immigration court, reveals their true colors once again.”

Court’s Finding and Rationale

The decision issued on 12 September stated that the failure in complete reporting on Khalil’s forms “was not an error by an unaware applicant … rather, this court determines that the defendant wilfully misrepresented material information.”

Judge Jamee Comans wrote: “This order herewith further decreed that the respondent be deported from the United States to Algeria, or alternatively to Syria.”

Background and Past Circumstances

Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States who is wed to a US citizen and has a US-citizen son, was held for three months starting in March and faced possible removal. His wife was pregnant at the time, and Khalil was absent for the birth of their child during in jail.

A one-time Columbia University attendee and one of the most visible leaders of nationwide pro-Palestinian university protests, Khalil was freed from detention in June but has experienced continued risk of expulsion from federal authorities.

Political Context

The government has taken action on pro-Palestinian activists such as Khalil, labeling them antisemitic and advocates of extremism.

Activist organizations, some of which are Jewish groups, argue that opposition of Israel’s actions on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian lands does not constitute antisemitism, and that advocacy for Palestinians is not endorsement for violent extremism.