A U.S immigration judge has ordered the deportation of Palestinian-American activist Mahmoud Khalil to either Algeria or Syria, citing omissions on his green card application.
Judge Jamee Comans, presiding from Louisiana, ruled that Khalil “wilfully misrepresented material fact(s) for the sole purpose of circumventing the immigration process.”
In response to the ruling, Khalil issued a statement through the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), saying:
“It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech.”
Khalil, 30, is a permanent U.S. resident of Palestinian descent and a key figure in the 2024 Gaza war protests at Columbia University, where he was a student.
His lawyers confirmed they will appeal the decision, noting that federal court orders still prohibit his detention or deportation.
Khalil was arrested in March 2025 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a sweeping policy by the Trump administration, which accused universities of failing to address antisemitism on campus.
Khalil, born in Syria and a citizen of Algeria, spent three months in ICE detention in Louisiana before a federal judge ruled in June that he did not pose a flight risk or danger to the community, ordering his release.
During his detention, Khalil’s wife, a U.S. citizen, gave birth to their son.
The U.S government accused Khalil of leaving out key information on his immigration documents, including former affiliations with UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees) and employment at the British Embassy in Beirut.
Khalil described the allegations as politically motivated:
“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.”
Former President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, has been vocal in his criticism of pro-Palestinian activists.
He has repeatedly accused them, including Khalil, of supporting Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist group.
Trump previously described Khalil’s arrest as “the first of many to come.”
In June, Khalil’s legal team filed a $20 million lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and damage to his reputation through claims that he is antisemitic.
Khalil’s high-profile involvement in the 2024 Columbia University Gaza protests brought national attention.
He acted as a mediator between students and university administration but denied being a leader of the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which led calls for the university to divest from Israel and support a ceasefire.
“I only served as a spokesperson for protesters and as a mediator with the university,” Khalil told the Associated Press.
Supporters of Israel have accused him of organizing the protests and influencing the university’s political climate.
