An immigration appeals board has denied former Columbia University grad student Mahmoud Khalil’s latest attempt to toss out his high-profile deportation case. Khalil made headlines last year for leading pro-Palestinian protests at the university.
According to Khalil’s lawyers, the board issued a final order of removal on Thursday. Khalil’s lawyers say they’re requesting that the full appeals panel reconsider the decision.
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Case for deportation
Khalil was born in Syria and has citizenship in Algeria but is a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
Federal authorities arrested him last March, alleging that he led anti-Israeli protests that were aligned with Hamas. The U.S. has designated Hamas as foreign terrorist organization since 1997.
Khalil claims he was only a spokesman for the Palestinian cause.
He spent more than 100 days in immigration detention facilities. He even missed the birth of his first child before a New Jersey judge ordered his release.
Earlier this year, a U.S. appeals panel ruled the judge in New Jersey overstepped his authority by releasing Khalil. The panel ruled 2-1 that law requires the case to fully move through the immigration courts before Khalil can challenge the decision in federal court.
Khalil’s response
Khalil released a statement after Thursday’s ruling saying, “The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it.”
He called the ruling “biased and politically motivated.”
