A federal judge ruled on Friday that Columbia student Khalil Mahmoud can be deported, as the Trump administration seeks his removal on the grounds that his presence in the U.S. poses “potentially serious foreign policy consequences.”
Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans found that the government had met the legal requirements to demonstrate that Mahmoud is removable from the country.
Lawyers for Mahmoud have vowed to continue fighting the decision. Marc Van Der Hout, one of Mahmoud’s attorneys, stated Friday that Mahmoud will appeal the ruling and may also seek asylum.
The case has become a focal point of the Trump administration’s policies aimed at cracking down on what it describes as “antisemitism” on college campuses. Critics argue the administration is targeting individuals protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In March, Mahmoud was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the State Department revoked his visa. Mahmoud had participated in protests against the war in Gaza last year. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, more than 300 students have since had their visas revoked for similar actions.
On March 26, Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents after the Trump administration sought her removal for authoring an article in a student newspaper criticizing Tufts’ response to protests over the war in Gaza. ICE later issued a statement accusing her of engaging in “pro-Hamas” activity.
In the cases of Ozturk, Mahmoud, and many others, Friday’s ruling may pave the way for the Trump administration to more aggressively target foreign students and other non-citizens who protest or express opposition to the war in Gaza.