Mahmoud Khalil, the student activist who led pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last year, can be deported by the Trump administration, a judge ruled on Friday. Khalil was arrested at his New York City apartment on March 8, the first arrest under President Donald Trump’s agenda to crack down on protestors who joined campus demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Khalil is a green card holder and permanent legal resident who is married to Noor Abdalla, an American citizen. He was taken to a detention center in Jena, Louisiana. No criminal charges have been filed against Khalil — instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited a 1952 Cold War law that allows for deportation of non-U.S. citizens if they are deemed a threat to American foreign policy.
