US immigration judge rules Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil be deported due to green card application omissions

A Louisiana immigration judge has ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to be deported to Syria or Algeria after finding omissions on Khalil’s green card application. 

Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, was at the center of efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on antisemitic campus protests, often led by international students. 

Khalil was originally arrested in March by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but was later released. 

In a ruling on Sept. 12, Immigration Judge Jamee Comans found that Khalil was not eligible for a waiver granting special relief, saying it would amount to rewarding his fraud for failing to disclose his membership in pro-Palestinian groups.

Comans also ruled that Khalil failed to disclose his past affiliations with Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a group supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, as well as with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), when applying for an adjustment of status in the United States.

Comans argued that as an Ivy League-educated student, Khalil was more than capable of understanding the nature of the omissions. 

"This court cannot and will not condone such an action by granting a discretionary waiver,” she wrote in her decision. 

She further noted that the hardships to be encountered by Khalil’s wife and child from his deportation were normal for immigrants in his situation and, therefore, did not merit a special waiver. 

Khalil’s attorneys publicized the ruling on Wednesday as they filed an appeal in federal court seeking relief.

In a statement, Khalil accused the Trump administration of employing “fascist tactics” in its bid to deport him.

“Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again,” Khalil said. “When their first effort to deport me was set to fail, they resorted to fabricating baseless and ridiculous allegations in a bid to silence me for speaking out and standing firmly with Palestine, demanding an end to the ongoing genocide. Such fascist tactics will never deter me from continuing to advocate for my people’s liberation.” 

Comans’ order comes despite a previous ruling by a New Jersey Federal Court stating that the attempt by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to have Khalil deported is probably unconstitutional, while ruling that Khalil can no longer be detained based on such an order. 

Khalil has not been charged with a crime; however, his prior status as a legal permanent resident has been deemed invalid as a result of Judge Comans’ ruling, making his deportation likely.