On September 12, 2025, a Louisiana immigration judge ordered Mahmoud Khalil—a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student—deported to either Syria or Algeria. The decision, handed down by Judge Jamee Comans, cited Khalil’s alleged failure to disclose certain details on his green card application, thrusting his case into the spotlight of ongoing national debates about immigration, free speech, and campus activism.
Khalil’s journey to this point has been anything but ordinary. Arriving in the United States on a student visa in December 2022, he soon became a lawful permanent resident in November 2024, according to NBC News. But his path took a dramatic turn in March 2025, when he was arrested at his Manhattan apartment and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He remained in custody for more than three months in Louisiana before being released on bail in June, just hours after a judge ordered his release. During his detention, Khalil missed the birth of his son, a fact that, according to the Centre for Constitutional Rights, caused him “severe emotional distress, economic hardship (and) damage to his reputation.”
At the heart of Khalil’s deportation order are allegations that he willfully omitted information about his employment and organizational affiliations on his application to adjust status—a process known by its government form, the I-485. Specifically, the Trump administration accused Khalil of failing to disclose his role as a political officer with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency of Palestine Refugees and his involvement with Columbia University Apartheid Divest. He was also alleged to have omitted previous employment at the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut. Judge Comans, in her written order, was unequivocal: “This Court finds that Respondent willfully misrepresented material fact(s) for the sole purpose of circumventing the immigration process and reducing the likelihood his applications could be denied. This Court cannot and will not condone such an action by granting a discretionary waiver.”
Khalil’s legal team, however, paints a starkly different picture. They maintain that the deportation proceedings are a form of political retaliation for his outspoken advocacy for Palestinian rights and his leadership role in the pro-Palestinian campus protests that swept Columbia University last year. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who is currently overseeing Khalil’s habeas corpus petition in federal court in New Jersey, his attorneys argued, “The only meaningful impediment to Petitioner’s physical removal from the United States would be this Court’s important order prohibiting removal during the pendency of his federal habeas case.”
Judge Farbiarz had previously blocked the Trump administration from deporting Khalil on national security grounds, but the government continued to pursue his removal based on the green card allegations. Khalil’s attorneys now have 30 days from the September 12 order to appeal the deportation decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Yet, as Politico reported, they fear the appeals process may be “swift and unfavourable.”
Khalil, for his part, has not been silent. In a strongly worded statement, he accused the Trump administration of targeting him for his political beliefs: “It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again.” He went on, “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.”
Khalil’s activism is well documented. He emerged as one of the most prominent leaders of the U.S. pro-Palestinian campus protests, which placed Columbia University at the center of a national controversy. According to News18, the university faced a firestorm of criticism last year over allegations of anti-Semitism during protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Some Jewish students reported feeling intimidated, and the university responded by punishing nearly 80 students involved in the protests, including expulsions and degree revocations. Khalil, who was not arrested on campus but served as a negotiator and spokesperson for the movement, became a high-profile figure in the debate over academic freedom and student activism.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, labeled Khalil a national security threat. In a rarely used move, authorities invoked an immigration provision that allows deportation if the Secretary of State deems a noncitizen’s presence harmful to U.S. foreign policy. Despite a lack of criminal charges against Khalil, the administration persisted in its efforts to remove him. NBC News, after reviewing over 100 pages of government documents and evidence from Khalil’s legal team, noted that some of the government’s claims relied on unverified tabloid reports and contained factual inaccuracies, including inconsistent timelines and mischaracterizations of his work history.
Khalil’s legal battle is part of a broader pattern. He was the first person arrested under President Trump’s crackdown on student protests related to Israel and Gaza. Shortly after his arrest, other scholars and students with pro-Palestinian views—such as Badar Khan Suri at Georgetown University and Rumeysa Ozturk at Tufts—faced similar actions, highlighting what advocates say is a campaign targeting dissent on U.S. campuses.
The legal saga has also drawn attention to the intersection of immigration enforcement and free speech. Khalil, married to a U.S. citizen, has not been charged with any crime. His supporters argue that his case exemplifies how immigration law can be wielded against political activists. In July 2025, the controversy around campus protests and university responses reached another crescendo when Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million to the U.S. government after President Trump threatened to pull federal funding over the university’s handling of student safety and alleged anti-Semitism. Columbia also pledged to follow rules barring the consideration of race in admissions and hiring.
As Khalil’s lawyers prepare their appeal, the outcome of his case remains uncertain. The Board of Immigration Appeals will be the next to weigh in, but with a federal court order still blocking his removal during the habeas review, the legal wrangling is far from over. The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department have not commented publicly on the case, leaving many questions about the future for Khalil and others in similar situations.
For now, Mahmoud Khalil’s story stands as a powerful—and deeply contested—example of how the worlds of activism, immigration, and politics can collide, with consequences that ripple far beyond one man’s fate.
