Louisiana Judge Cites Secretary of State Decision to Deport Pro-Hamas Columbia Terrorist
An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled on Friday that Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate student, can be deported from the United States due to his leadership role in pro-Hamas protests on campus in 2024. Judge Jamee Comans, presiding at the LaSalle Immigration Court, determined that the U.S. government had met its burden of proof to establish Khalil’s removability, citing “potentially serious foreign policy consequences” stemming from his activism.
Khalil, a legal resident born in Syria and a citizen of Algeria, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8, at his university housing in New York City. The Trump administration, backed by a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argued that Khalil’s involvement in the protests, which they claimed fostered a “hostile environment for Jewish students,” justified his deportation under a rarely used provision of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act. Rubio’s memo, submitted as evidence, alleged that Khalil’s presence undermined U.S. efforts to combat antisemitism globally.
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During the nearly two-hour hearing, Judge Comans stated she lacked authority to challenge Rubio’s determination, emphasizing that Congress granted the Secretary of State “unilateral judgment” in such matters. “The government has established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable,” Comans ruled.
Khalil, who played a leadership role in vandalism and mobilization of Pro-Hamas protests, addressed the court after the ruling. Quoting Comans’ prior statement, he said, “I would like to quote what you said last time, that ‘there’s nothing that’s more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness.’ Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present.” He criticized his transfer to a remote Louisiana detention center, over 1,000 miles from his family, as a tactic to isolate him.
Khalil’s attorneys, led by Marc Van Der Hout, condemned the decision as a “charade of due process” and a “weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent.” They argue that Khalil’s constitutionally protected free speech is being targeted, warning that the precedent could endanger anyone expressing controversial views. “If Mahmoud can be targeted in this way, simply for speaking out for Palestinians, this can happen to anyone over any issue the Trump administration dislikes,” Van Der Hout said. The legal team plans to appeal the ruling and is pursuing a separate federal case in New Jersey, where a judge has temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation pending further review.
Khalil’s wife, Noor Abdalla, who is expecting their first child, call him a political prisoner. Abdalla’s statement, read outside the detention center, described the ruling as a “devastating blow” and defended Khalil’s advocacy for Palestinian rights.
Khalil’s role at Columbia included negotiating with administrators during last spring’s encampment protests, which demanded the university divest from ties to Israel amid the Gaza conflict.
