A federal judge in the United States(US) has ordered the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who has been detained since March by immigration authorities. Khalil’s detention stems from his involvement in Palestinian rights protests at Columbia University, which led to the Trump administration revoking his legal immigration status. The decision was made in a federal court in New Jersey, where Khalil’s lawyers are challenging his detention.
According to the court, Khalil’s detention was deemed unlawful, and his release has been ordered. However, it remains unclear whether Khalil will be immediately released. As a legal permanent resident, Khalil was detained over his involvement in student protests, sparking widespread criticism of the Trump administration’s crackdown on free speech. Secretary of State Marco Rubio used a rarely used provision of immigration law to order Khalil’s removal, citing “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the US.
Khalil’s case has garnered significant attention, particularly after authorities denied him the chance to witness the birth of his firstborn son in April. Notably, Khalil was not charged with any crime, and advocates argue that the crackdown violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech. Several other students facing deportation have also been ordered released by federal courts, including Turkish Tufts University scholar Rumeysa Ozturk and Columbia’s Mohsen Mahdawi.
The Trump administration’s actions have been criticized for sending immigration authorities to detain students instead of allowing them to remain free while challenging their deportation. Ozturk was detained over co-authoring an op-ed calling on her school to abide by the student government’s call for divesting from companies involved in Israeli abuses against Palestinians.