LIVE: Khalil v Trump Immigration Ruling

KHALIL V TRUMP: Live hearing where a judge will hear oral arguments over the preliminary injunction and Khalil's release from detention.

BACKSTORY:

An immigration judge has ordered former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria, ruling that he failed to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to documents filed Wednesday in federal court by his lawyers.

The order comes despite a separate ruling in Khalil’s federal case in New Jersey that blocked deportation while that court considers his argument that his detention and deportation are unlawful retaliation for his Palestinian advocacy.

Khalil, who has accused the Trump administration of using "fascist tactics," says he is being targeted as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent against U.S. support for Israel.

The administration has pushed aggressively to deport Khalil and other student demonstrators over their involvement in campus protests.

At the time of Khalil’s arrest, Homeland Security officials accused him of leading activities "aligned to Hamas," but the government has not presented evidence linking him to the militant group and made no mention of Hamas in its most recent filing.

Who is Mahmoud Khalil?

Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian born in Syria, was first arrested on March 8 in New York and transferred to a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana.

His wife, a U.S. citizen, gave birth to their first child while he was in custody, thousands of miles away from his family and attorneys.

While in detention, Khalil finished coursework for a master’s degree at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

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