Mon Mar 24 05:30:23 UTC 2025: ## US Judge Halts Deportation of Palestinian Student Amid Free Speech Concerns
**New York, March 24, 2025** – A US judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student at Columbia University, while a federal court hears his habeas corpus petition. The Trump administration arrested Khalil on March 8th and attempted to deport him to Louisiana, alleging he withheld information about his work with UNRWA, the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees, on his visa application.
The US government claims Khalil’s omission constitutes grounds for deportation and poses a serious foreign policy risk. This action follows the US halting funding for UNRWA after allegations that some of its employees were involved in the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The government also accuses Khalil of failing to disclose his work for the Syrian office of the British embassy in Beirut and his membership in the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group.
Khalil, a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, denies the allegations and claims he is a political prisoner, targeted for his activism. His supporters argue the deportation attempt is a violation of his free speech rights.
In a court brief filed on March 23rd, the US government defended its actions, arguing against the New Jersey court’s jurisdiction in the habeas case. Khalil’s attorney, Ramie Kassem, characterized the new deportation grounds as “patently weak and pretextual,” suggesting the administration is retaliating against Khalil for his political views. The case is being closely watched as a potential test of free speech protections in the context of US foreign policy. Khalil, a Syrian national and Algerian citizen, entered the US on a student visa in 2022 and applied for permanent residency in 2024.
First Piper 