NYT: Appeals Court Reopens Detention Possibility for Pro-Palestinian "Activist" Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil truly belives he did nothing wrong during the vicious anti-Israel campus protests during 2024. He is quite clearly deluded and was never taught that actuons really do have consequences.
A federal appeals court has revived the U.S. government's efforts to detain and deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and prominent pro-Palestinian protester, in a ruling that highlights the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on antisemitic "campus activism" [thuggery, assault and initimidation of Jewish students] related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident with an American wife and son, was arrested on March 8, 2025, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at his Columbia University residential apartment in New York City.
As a graduate student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, Khalil served as a "lead negotiator" [read: aggressive antisemitic Jew hater] in pro-Palestinian protests and campus occupations during the Gaza war.
The arrest stemmed from the Trump administration's efforts to revoke his visa status, initially without a warrant, citing his activism as impeding U.S. foreign policy.
Khalil testified that deportation could lead to "assassination, kidnapping, torture," endangering his family. He was detained for over three months at the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana.
Khalil was released on bail in June 2025 after a federal judge ruled the detention law likely unconstitutional. However, deportation proceedings continued, with an immigration judge ordering his removal to Syria or Algeria in September 2025, prompting further appeals.
In a split opinion, the Third Circuit panel, comprising Judges Thomas Hardiman, Stephanos Bibas (majority), and Arianna J. Freeman (dissent), determined that the New Jersey district judge overseeing Khalil's habeas corpus petition lacked jurisdiction. The majority argued the case should first be handled by an immigration court.
Judge Freeman dissented, stating Khalil had shown government violations of his fundamental rights and irreparable harm from detention.
This reverses prior favorable rulings for Khalil and similar detainees, who used habeas corpus to challenge detentions as retaliation for First Amendment-protected speech. While appeals are likely, it could lead to renewed detention.
Similar cases involving students like Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysa Ozturk have seen releases, but the precedent could affect others.