The legal battle over the detention of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who is facing deportation by the Trump administration for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests, took a new turn on Wednesday. A government lawyer requested a federal judge in Manhattan to move the case to New Jersey or Louisiana, where Khalil is currently being held. His lawyers are arguing that the government is retaliating against him for exercising his free speech rights.
Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident married to an American citizen, was arrested in New York and transferred to detention centers in New Jersey and Louisiana. His lawyers are seeking his return to New York and release under supervision. They claim that Khalil’s detention is based on his advocacy for Palestinian rights and protected speech, with no criminal convictions against him.
The case has sparked protests in New York and other cities, with civil rights groups and Khalil’s attorneys arguing that the government is using immigration control powers unconstitutionally to silence him. President Trump celebrated Khalil’s arrest on social media, describing him as engaging in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”
The situation has divided U.S. Jewish groups, with some supporting Khalil’s deportation as a deterrent against antisemitism on college campuses, while others criticize the Trump administration for targeting individuals for their political beliefs. Khalil was born in Syria and is a grandson of Palestinians who were displaced from their homeland. His lawyers plan to file a rewritten lawsuit as the legal battle continues.
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