FILE – Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil holds a information convention outdoors Federal Courtroom, Oct. 21, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Matt Rourke/AP
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Matt Rourke/AP
NEW YORK — An immigration appeals board has denied Mahmoud Khalil’s newest bid to dismiss his deportation case, a largely anticipated ruling that brings the previous Columbia College graduate scholar and Palestinian activist one step nearer to re-arrest and potential expulsion.
The Board of Immigration Appeals issued the ultimate order of elimination on Thursday, in response to Khalil’s attorneys. The board’s rulings should not public, and an inquiry to the U.S. Division of Justice was not instantly returned.
Khalil stated he was not shocked by the ruling, which he known as “biased and politically motivated.” His attorneys stated he can’t be lawfully detained or deported as he pursues a separate case within the federal courtroom system.
“The one factor I’m responsible of is talking out towards the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it,” Khalil stated in an announcement.
The Board of Immigration Appeals units precedent within the byzantine immigration courtroom system, which is managed by the Division of Justice — and more and more below the affect of the Trump administration.
Khalil, a 31-year-old authorized everlasting resident, was the primary particular person whose arrest grew to become publicly identified in the course of the federal crackdown on noncitizens who publicly criticized Israel and its actions in Gaza.
The federal government has claimed that Khalil’s efforts as a frontrunner of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia have been “aligned to Hamas.” They haven’t offered proof of any connection to the terrorist group, and Khalil has adamantly denied allegations of antisemitism.
After his arrest final March, Khalil spent 104 days in an immigration jail, lacking the start of his first youngster, earlier than he was ordered launched by a federal decide in New Jersey.
Khalil suffered a big setback in his federal case earlier this 12 months, with a U.S. appeals panel ruling the decide in New Jersey overstepped his authority by releasing him. In a 2-1 resolution, the panel discovered that regulation requires the case to totally transfer via the immigration courts earlier than Khalil can problem the choice in federal courtroom.
Khalil’s attorneys are requesting the complete appeals panel rethink the choice. Earlier this month, they requested one of many appellate panel’s judges to step apart due to his earlier function as a high Justice Division official concerned in investigating scholar protesters.
Khalil was born in Syria to a Palestinian household and holds Algerian citizenship via a distant relative. He has stated that he could possibly be focused, and even killed, if he’s deported.
