US judge briefly halts deportation of arrested pro-Palestine student
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A US judge has blocked Mahmoud Khalil's deportation after government agents arrested him in his home during the weekend.
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A protester raises signs during a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil outside Columbia University, on Monday, March 10, 2025, in New York. (AP)
A US judge on Monday ruled that Palestinian Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil will not be deported for now amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestine protesters and scheduled a court hearing for Wednesday.
Khalil, a prominent figure in the university’s protest movement against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, was arrested by immigration officials over the weekend. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the arrest was carried out "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State."
Khalil, a Columbia graduate, was a legal permanent resident at the time of his arrest, according to the Student Workers of Columbia union. However, as plainclothes officers barged into his home to carry out his detention, they revealed that his green card was revoked.
Trump praised the detention, calling it "the first arrest of many to come."
"We know there are more students at Columbia and other universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump administration will not tolerate it," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The White House's official X account made a post that said, "SHALOM, MAHMOUD," before quoting Trump's statement on the arrest.
Condemnations, protests against Khalil's arrest
Protesters in New York City, along with the state attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union, have condemned Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest, calling it an attack on free speech.
A brief clash between police and hundreds of demonstrators protesting his arrest occurred in lower Manhattan, with at least one person detained, according to a Reuters witness.
On Monday, US District Court Judge Jesse Furman halted Khalil’s deportation “unless and until the Court orders otherwise.”
Khalil’s lawyers also urged Furman to order his return to New York, accusing the government of attempting to deny him access to legal counsel by transferring him far from the city.
