How Far Will the Trump Administration Go to Deport Mahmoud Khalil?
Khalil protested Israel as a student at Columbia. Now he’s on the verge of being kicked out of the country.
In October, as the morning sun illuminated the oil-distillation towers of northern New Jersey, Mahmoud Khalil made his way from Brooklyn to a federal courthouse in Philadelphia for an oral argument. Khalil, a legal permanent resident, was the subject of a memo declaring him "deportable" due to his political opinions and associations.
He was held in an ICE detention center in rural Louisiana for over a hundred days, missing the birth of his son. During his detention, Khalil made an effort to disguise himself before entering the courthouse, where three federal judges, each appointed by a different President, heard his appeal. The majority opinion, written by two Republican appointees, stripped Khalil of his legal protections, potentially setting precedents in immigration, national-security, and First Amendment law.
Khalil, who adapted quickly to American culture and became a visible pro-Palestine activist, expressed his determination to stay in the country despite the legal proceedings. The judges' decision, however, signaled a potential erosion of constitutional rights for individuals deemed a threat to national security or public safety.
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