New York, NY – A federal judge in New York has issued a temporary order halting the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-terrorist activist and former Columbia University student, who was detained by federal authorities over his leadership in anti-Israel and antisemitic protests on campus. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman on March 10, 2025, blocks Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from removing Khalil “unless and until the Court orders otherwise,” with a hearing set for Wednesday, March 12. The decision comes as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to expel individuals it accuses of supporting and promoting terrorism under the guise of campus activism.
Khalil, apprehended Saturday night at his university-owned apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a key figure in Columbia’s disruptive anti-Israel protests, which officials say masked support for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. The arrest aligns with President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order targeting antisemitism and pro-terrorist activities on college campuses, with Khalil’s detention heralded as “the first of many” in a broader crackdown. On Truth Social, Trump vowed to purge “terrorist sympathizers” from the U.S., a stance echoed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who pledged to revoke green cards of Hamas supporters.
The operation unfolded swiftly. Two plainclothes DHS agents seized Khalil, a legal permanent resident with a green card, claiming the State Department had revoked his status. Despite initial confusion—agents first cited a nonexistent student visa—they proceeded, transferring him to the LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana, far from New York. The move underscores the administration’s assertive use of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which permits deportation of non-citizens whose actions threaten U.S. foreign policy, a provision DHS links to Khalil’s alleged ties to terror-aligned groups.
Khalil’s activism at Columbia, notably during the 2024 Gaza Solidarity Encampment, saw him orchestrate anti-Israel demonstrations that authorities say veered into antisemitic territory and covertly bolstered terrorist agendas. Organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), these protests demanded divestment from Israel-linked companies, a stance critics argue serves as a front for extremist sympathies. The encampment, which seized campus buildings and inspired similar chaos nationwide, followed Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, targeting, torturing, and killing 1,200 adults, children, and even babies—an event Israel countered with a Gaza offensive that eliminated terrorist strongholds but drew veiled islamic terrorist support from agitators like Khalil.
The administration’s actions build on Trump’s recent moves to penalize universities tolerating such protests. Last week, Columbia lost $400 million in federal funding for failing to curb antisemitic disruptions, a decision tied to its permissiveness toward Khalil’s activities. DHS cites his leadership as creating a “hostile academic environment” for Jewish students, a charge backed by a 2024 Columbia task force report documenting physical violence, harassment, ostracism and verbal abuse during the protests.
While Khalil’s legal team scrambles to challenge his detention, the administration stands firm. A senior Homeland Security official emphasized the broad authority under immigration law to target individuals like Khalil, whose presence is deemed a national security risk. Wednesday’s hearing will determine if the judge upholds this stance or bows to pressure from a vocal minority of pro-terrorist activists who rallied in Manhattan on Monday, waving “palestinian” flags in a show of defiance.
As Trump’s crackdown intensifies, Khalil’s case signals a no-tolerance policy toward anti-Israel agitators whose campus protests, officials assert, double as recruiting grounds for terror support. With Columbia as ground zero, the administration aims to dismantle these networks, ensuring universities prioritize education over extremism.
AI Inferences and Considerations
Khalil’s rapid transfer to Louisiana likely reflects a strategic move to disrupt any coordinated resistance from his anti-Israel network, isolating him from urban centers where such groups thrive. The choice of a remote facility could also signal intent to process similar cases discreetly, avoiding the media spotlight of New York. This aligns with Trump’s broader agenda, which may target other campuses like UC Berkeley or NYU, where anti-Israel protests flared in 2024, suggesting a multi-pronged campaign to neutralize perceived terror threats under academic cover.
The lack of specific charges against Khalil—beyond DHS’s Hamas linkage—might indicate reliance on classified intelligence, a tactic used in past terrorism-related deportations. This opacity could strengthen the administration’s hand by keeping opponents guessing, though it risks judicial pushback if evidence remains thin. The timing, post-Columbia’s funding cut, implies a deliberate escalation to pressure universities into upholding their own policies. Under normal circumstances, students who have engaged in such offensive behaviors would be routinely sanctioned or expelled, but there have been rare if any examples of this occurring in the current context.
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