Who is Mahmoud Khalil? Judge rules Columbia University student can be deported from US

A US immigration judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can deport Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil. 

The ruling by Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana does not mean Khalil would be immediately removed from the country

But it represented a significant victory for the Republican president in his efforts to deport foreign pro-Palestinian students who are in the United States legally and, like Khalil, have not been charged with any crime, Reuters reported.

Khalil’s lawyers are expected to appeal. The judge gave his lawyers until 23 April to appeal against the order.

Who is Mahmoud Khalil?

Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, is a pro-Palestinian (or anti-Israel) activist who helped lead protests against Israel at the university.

He was detained last month over his role in pro-Palestinian protests, BBC reported. The 30-year-old was a prominent voice at Columbia University’s protests against the war in Gaza last year.

The activist has been held at a Louisiana detention centre since March 8, when immigration officers told him he was being deported for taking part in protests against the war in Gaza.

Khalil, a permanent legal US resident, has not been charged with a crime. In a letter written from the facility, he said his “arrest was a direct consequence” of speaking out for Palestinian rights.

Khalil was born in Syria.