Immigration judge clears way for activist Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation. What comes next?

While an immigration judge’s ruling that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil – a legal permanent resident – can be deported is a victory for the Trump administration, the legal fight against his detention and deportation is far from over.

While an immigration judge’s ruling that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil – a legal permanent resident – can be deported is a victory for the Trump administration, the legal battle against his detention and deportation is far from over. The decision by Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans in Louisiana on Friday came after the federal government submitted what it said was evidence alleging Khalil’s “beliefs, statements or associations” made him deportable. The judge ruled the Palestinian activist’s presence posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences,” agreeing with a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the week accusing Khalil of undermining “U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism” without citing any allegations of criminal activity. A “removability finding” in immigration court means the judge has determined the individual is subject to removal from the United States due to a violation of immigration law or lack of legal immigration status. Khalil’s attorneys said they will appeal. “We don’t think this is the final word at all,” Marc Van Der Hout, an immigration attorney for Khalil, told CNN after the ruling, referring in part to a separate legal challenge in federal court in New Jersey on grounds that he is being targeted for constitutionally protected free speech. Khalil has separate court cases playing out in two states – the Louisiana case is focused on his deportation order and the New Jersey case is focused on his habeas petition challenging the legality of his detention.