Watan-A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the release of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil from an immigration detention facility, marking a major victory for human rights groups that challenged what they described as the Trump administration’s unlawful targeting of a pro-Palestinian activist.
Khalil had been a prominent figure in protests supporting Palestine and opposing Israel’s war on Gaza. Immigration officials arrested him at his university dormitory in Manhattan on March 8. President Donald Trump, a Republican, described the protests as antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students involved—Khalil became the first target of this policy.
After hearing oral arguments from Khalil’s lawyers and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbeyarz ordered Khalil’s release from an immigration detention center in rural Louisiana.
Judge Farbeyarz said the government made no effort to refute evidence provided by Khalil’s legal team showing that he posed no threat to the community and was not a flight risk.
In his ruling, the judge added: “There is at least a shadow cast over the government’s primary claim—it appears there may have been an attempt to exploit immigration charges here as a means to punish the petitioner (Khalil),” asserting that punishing someone in a civil immigration case is unconstitutional.
Khalil, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, maintains that he is being punished for his political speech, in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He has publicly condemned antisemitism and racism in interviews with CNN and other media outlets last year.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement, “There is no basis for a ruling by a local federal judge in New Jersey—who lacks jurisdiction—to order Khalil’s release from a detention center in Louisiana.”
She added, “We expect our position to be upheld on appeal and look forward to Khalil’s removal from the United States.”
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