Mahmoud Khalil has been one of several thorns in President Donald Trump’s side in terms of his immigration agenda
The Trump administration has been fighting to have him deported for about six months, and the case has finally come to a close.
Late Wednesday night, a judge ordered that Khalil would indeed be deported to Syria or Algeria.
Khalil is a pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested in March.
He was one of the instigators of the Columbia University protests that gained national headlines for more or less locking down the campus and forcing Jewish students to live in fear.
Khalil attended Columbia through last December, and was reportedly living in campus housing when authorities knocked on his door and arrested him, under orders from the State Department to revoke his green card.
At the time, his attorney, Amy Greer, stated, “We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained. This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.”
In June, Khalil was released from custody after some serious legal jousting between his legal team and the Department of Justice.
The presiding judge ruled that deporting him on foreign policy grounds was likely unconstitutional.
After his release, Khalil stated to his followers, “Your messages have kept me going. Still the fight is far from over, the genocide is still happening in Gaza, Israel is still waging a full war against Palestine.”
He continued, “The U.S. government is funding this genocide, and Columbia University is investing in this genocide. This is why I was protesting, this is why I will continue protesting with every one of you, not only if they threaten me with detention. Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Gaza.”
Khalil is back on the merry-go-round, with Judge Jamee Comans ordering that he be deported for failing to report his internship with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and his ties to Columbia University Apartheid Divest, an anti-Israel campus coalition.
His legal team has announced its intent to appeal the ruling, with Khalil himself stating, "It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech.
He added, "Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again."
So, now the appeals process starts all over again, but hopefully the administration comes out on the right side of this decision. This is not about free speech; this is about an extremist who does not appreciate the opportunity he was given, dumping all over the country that took him in. Oh, and by the way, he also appears to have broken the law. I say, good riddance.
