Latest news with #Columbia-owned
Days of Palestine
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Federal Judge Orders Release of Palestinian Columbia Student Leader from ICE Detention
DayofPal– A federal judge has ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student leader at Columbia University, after more than three months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. The decision comes amid mounting criticism over what civil liberties advocates are calling a politically motivated crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, was arrested in March by plainclothes ICE agents who entered his Columbia-owned residence without a warrant. The agents initially claimed that Khalil's visa had been revoked; when he informed them he held a green card, they said that had been revoked as well. His attorney, Amy Greer, who was on the phone during the arrest, demanded to see a warrant, ICE agents hung up on her instead. Following his arrest, Khalil was transferred over 1,000 miles to a detention center in Louisiana. Despite claiming Khalil was a flight risk, government officials admitted they had no warrant. Security footage from the arrest showed Khalil cooperating peacefully. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz granted Khalil bail and sharply criticized the government's handling of the case, calling the detention 'highly, highly unusual.' In his ruling, Farbiarz stated, 'There is at least something to the underlying claim that there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish Mr. Khalil. And of course that would be unconstitutional.' Khalil was never charged with a crime. The Trump administration initially justified his arrest under the rarely invoked claim that his activism was 'compromising U.S. foreign policy', a designation made directly by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Earlier this month, Judge Farbiarz blocked the administration from using that reasoning to continue Khalil's detention or initiate deportation proceedings, stating that it was causing 'irreparable harm.' Last week, the government shifted its approach, alleging Khalil had misrepresented his employment history on his green card application. But the judge found those claims insufficient to justify continued detention. During his time in custody, Khalil missed the birth of his first child and Columbia's graduation ceremonies. ICE denied his repeated requests to be relocated closer to his wife and newborn. Khalil is among several international students and academics arrested in a broader federal crackdown on anti-genocide and pro-Palestinian activism on U.S. campuses. Others swept up in similar arrests include Mohsen Mahdawi, Rümeysa Öztürk, and Badar Khan Suri. Their cases remain ongoing. Now released, Khalil will be allowed to fight his immigration case from outside of detention. Shortlink for this post:
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mahmoud Khalil's bid for freedom denied as federal judge sides with Trump administration
NEW YORK — A tumultuous day in Mahmoud Khalil's bid for freedom ended late Friday with a federal judge in New Jersey refusing to force the Trump administration to release the Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist from a Louisiana lockup. Judge Michael Farbiarz denied a request from Khalil's lawyers calling for his immediate release after the government declined to appeal a ruling Farbiarz issued Wednesday that found the main reason cited for jailing and seeking to deport Khalil was unconstitutional. Until Friday, Trump administration lawyers had primarily argued the lawful permanent resident should be detained and deported based on a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that his pro-Palestinian advocacy could compromise a 'compelling' U.S. foreign policy interest, meaning U.S. support for Israel. When Farbiarz said Khalil could no longer be detained on that basis, government lawyers were expected to appeal before his order went into effect on Friday at 9:30 a.m. That didn't happen, prompting Khalil's lawyers to call for his instant release. But lawyers for the federal government later in the day said they did not interpret Farbiarz's opinion as ordering them to release Khalil because they had a backup reason for keeping him in lockup — alleged omissions on his immigration forms about his work experience. 'Khalil is now detained based on that other charge of removability,' Trump admin lawyers wrote. Farbiarz said Khalil could make a bid for bail to the judge presiding over his separate immigration case in Louisiana. The 30-year-old grad student, a legal permanent resident, has been detained in Jena, Louisiana, since March 9, a day after agents from the Department of Homeland Security took him into custody at his Columbia-owned apartment. He played a prominent role in campus protests against Israeli military activity in Gaza and the West Bank and Columbia's financial ties to Israel, acting as a mediator between students and the school administration. In the weeks that followed, the government cited an obscure provision in a 1952 immigration law that says the office of the secretary of state can order someone deported if their beliefs or activities could unfavorably impact U.S. foreign relations, namely, the government's policy of combating antisemitism. Khalil, a Palestinian who grew up in a Syrian refugee camp, rejects that his advocacy for civilians in war-torn Gaza and the West Bank is based on bigotry. His lawyers have pointed to public comments he made well before his arrest condemning antisemitism. Farbiarz's Wednesday opinion and order found the basis provided by the government was so vague as to be unconstitutional and said Khalil's ongoing detention was jeopardizing his professional reputation and right to free speech, amounting to irreparable harm. As of Friday's back and forth, the government's reason for detaining Khalil is now based on its allegations that when he applied for lawful permanent residency in 2024, he didn't disclose membership in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), that he'd worked for the British Embassy in Beirut after 2022, or that he was a member of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). Though he accepted the government's position Friday, Farbiarz on Wednesday appeared skeptical that the alleged omissions warranted his detention, noting that the government 'virtually never [detains]' people on such allegations and that Khalil's jailing was, by all accounts, driven by Rubio's unconstitutional policy. Khalil, whose U.S. citizen wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, accepted his diploma from Columbia on his behalf last month, is fighting his detention and deportation in a habeas corpus case filed in New Jersey, where he was swiftly transferred after being taken into custody. Separately, he's faced immigration proceedings in Louisiana, where Judge Jamee Comans has sided with the government in ordering him deported. Before a hearing in that matter last month, where Khalil and other witnesses sought to convince Comans that his deportation could result in his death, he met his 1-month-old son, Deen, for the first time, who was born weeks after he was detained. At that hearing, according to court papers, the government did not appear to bolster its allegations about Khalil's lawful residency forms. The immigration judge dismissed the claim about the British embassy. Khalil testified he was never employed by UNRWA or a member or a leader of CUAD, and government lawyers didn't cross-examine him. The government did not mention the UNRWA or CUAD membership allegations in written closing arguments. Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to the Daily News's queries. Khalil's lawyers could not immediately be reached following Farbiarz's order late Friday. 'The deadline has come and gone and Mahmoud Khalil must be released immediately,' the attorneys said in a statement earlier Friday. 'Anything further is an attempt to prolong his unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel detention.' -----------
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mahmoud Khalil's bid for freedom denied as federal judge sides with Trump administration
NEW YORK — A tumultuous day in Mahmoud Khalil's bid for freedom ended late Friday with a federal judge in New Jersey refusing to force the Trump administration to release the Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist from a Louisiana lockup. Judge Michael Farbiarz denied a request from Khalil's lawyers calling for his immediate release after the government declined to appeal a ruling Farbiarz issued Wednesday that found the main reason cited for jailing and seeking to deport Khalil was unconstitutional. Until Friday, Trump administration lawyers had primarily argued the lawful permanent resident should be detained and deported based on a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that his pro-Palestinian advocacy could compromise a 'compelling' U.S. foreign policy interest, meaning U.S. support for Israel. When Farbiarz said Khalil could no longer be detained on that basis, government lawyers were expected to appeal before his order went into effect on Friday at 9:30 a.m. That didn't happen, prompting Khalil's lawyers to call for his instant release. But lawyers for the federal government later in the day said they did not interpret Farbiarz's opinion as ordering them to release Khalil because they had a backup reason for keeping him in lockup — alleged omissions on his immigration forms about his work experience. 'Khalil is now detained based on that other charge of removability,' Trump admin lawyers wrote. Farbiarz said Khalil could make a bid for bail to the judge presiding over his separate immigration case in Louisiana. The 30-year-old grad student, a legal permanent resident, has been detained in Jena, Louisiana, since March 9, a day after agents from the Department of Homeland Security took him into custody at his Columbia-owned apartment. He played a prominent role in campus protests against Israeli military activity in Gaza and the West Bank and Columbia's financial ties to Israel, acting as a mediator between students and the school administration. In the weeks that followed, the government cited an obscure provision in a 1952 immigration law that says the office of the secretary of state can order someone deported if their beliefs or activities could unfavorably impact U.S. foreign relations, namely, the government's policy of combating antisemitism. Khalil, a Palestinian who grew up in a Syrian refugee camp, rejects that his advocacy for civilians in war-torn Gaza and the West Bank is based on bigotry. His lawyers have pointed to public comments he made well before his arrest condemning antisemitism. Farbiarz's Wednesday opinion and order found the basis provided by the government was so vague as to be unconstitutional and said Khalil's ongoing detention was jeopardizing his professional reputation and right to free speech, amounting to irreparable harm. As of Friday's back and forth, the government's reason for detaining Khalil is now based on its allegations that when he applied for lawful permanent residency in 2024, he didn't disclose membership in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), that he'd worked for the British Embassy in Beirut after 2022, or that he was a member of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). Though he accepted the government's position Friday, Farbiarz on Wednesday appeared skeptical that the alleged omissions warranted his detention, noting that the government 'virtually never [detains]' people on such allegations and that Khalil's jailing was, by all accounts, driven by Rubio's unconstitutional policy. Khalil, whose U.S. citizen wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, accepted his diploma from Columbia on his behalf last month, is fighting his detention and deportation in a habeas corpus case filed in New Jersey, where he was swiftly transferred after being taken into custody. Separately, he's faced immigration proceedings in Louisiana, where Judge Jamee Comans has sided with the government in ordering him deported. Before a hearing in that matter last month, where Khalil and other witnesses sought to convince Comans that his deportation could result in his death, he met his 1-month-old son, Deen, for the first time, who was born weeks after he was detained. At that hearing, according to court papers, the government did not appear to bolster its allegations about Khalil's lawful residency forms. The immigration judge dismissed the claim about the British embassy. Khalil testified he was never employed by UNRWA or a member or a leader of CUAD, and government lawyers didn't cross-examine him. The government did not mention the UNRWA or CUAD membership allegations in written closing arguments. Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to the Daily News's queries. Khalil's lawyers could not immediately be reached following Farbiarz's order late Friday. 'The deadline has come and gone and Mahmoud Khalil must be released immediately,' the attorneys said in a statement earlier Friday. 'Anything further is an attempt to prolong his unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel detention.' -----------
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration has no plans to release Mahmoud Khalil despite federal court ruling
NEW YORK — NEW YORK — The Trump administration said Friday it does not plan to free recent Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from a Louisiana detention center, despite missing a morning deadline to challenge his release in federal court. New Jersey Federal Judge Michael Farbiarz on Wednesday granted Khalil's request to stop the government from detaining and deporting him — for now — based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that his pro-Palestinian advocacy compromises a 'compelling' U.S. foreign policy interest, meaning U.S. support for Israel. The judge said the order wouldn't go into effect until Friday at 9:30 a.m., giving the government time to file a notice of appeal challenging his finding. 'The deadline has come and gone and Mahmoud Khalil must be released immediately,' Khalil's lawyers said in a statement to the Daily News earlier Friday. 'Anything further is an attempt to prolong his unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel detention.' In response to Khalil's legal team's Friday morning filings, the federal government said they haven't sought to stay the ruling because they don't interpret the judge's Wednesday order as requiring immigration authorities to release Khalil. 'The Court did not order Respondents to release Petitioner Mahmoud Khalil,' the government lawyers wrote in court documents. 'The Court instead enjoined Respondents from detaining Khalil 'based on the Secretary of State's determination.' That injunction does not interfere with Respondents' authority to detain Khalil on other grounds.' The government is now detaining Khalil on allegations that when he applied for lawful permanent residency in 2024, he didn't disclose membership in UNRWA, that he'd worked for the British Embassy in Beirut, or that he was a member of Columbia University Apartheid Divest. His lawyers have called the allegations baseless. Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. In a statement Wednesday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin had indicated the government would challenge Farbiarz's order, saying it 'delays justice and seeks to undermine [Trump's] constitutionally vested powers.' McLaughlin said a green card was a privilege that should be revoked for people who support terrorist activity, an allegation the Trump admin has levied against Khalil without backing up. The 30-year-old grad student, a legal permanent resident, has been detained in Jena, Louisiana, since March 9, a day after agents from DHS took him into custody at his Columbia-owned apartment. In the weeks that followed, the government cited an obscure provision in a 1952 immigration law finding the office of the secretary of state can order someone deported if their beliefs could unfavorably impact U.S. foreign relations, namely, the government's policy of combating antisemitism. Khalil, a Palestinian who grew up in a Syrian refugee camp, rejects that his advocacy for civilians in war-torn Gaza and the West Bank is based on bigotry. His lawyers have pointed to public comments he made well before his arrest condemning antisemitism. Farbiarz's Wednesday opinion and order found his detention jeopardized his reputation and right to free speech. '[The] Court finds as a matter of fact that [Khalil's] career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled,' Farbiarz wrote Wednesday, 'and this adds up to irreparable harm.' The government has also cited another basis for Khalil's deportation in alleging that he failed to fill out forms when he applied for residency accurately. But the federal judge so far has been suspicious of that reasoning for Khalil's detention. Farbiarz noted Wednesday that the government 'virtually never [detains]' people on such allegations and that Khalil's ongoing detention was, by all accounts, driven by Rubio's unconstitutional policy. In response, the federal government on Friday argued that while the court found it was unlikely that Khalil would be detained on another basis, the federal judge did not explicitly say it would be unlawful to do so. They concluded that Khalil is now being held on the secondary charge. The government lawyers also asked the court that if it isn't convinced by their argument to stay any order to release Khalil pending appeal or set a date for the order to go into effect a week later. Khalil, whose U.S. citizen wife accepted his diploma from Columbia on his behalf last month, is fighting his detention and deportation in a habeas corpus case filed in New Jersey, where he was swiftly transferred after being taken into custody. He played a prominent role in campus protests against Israeli military activity in Gaza and the West Bank and Columbia's financial ties to Israel, acting as a mediator between students and the school administration. Separately, he's faced immigration proceedings in Louisiana, where Judge Jamee Comans has sided with the government in ordering him deported. Before a hearing in that matter last month, where Khalil and other witnesses sought to convince Comans that his deportation could result in his death, he met his 1-month-old son, Deen, for the first time, who was born weeks after he was detained. -----------
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mahmoud Khalil's lawyers demand his immediate release as Trump misses key deadline
NEW YORK — The Trump administration blew a Friday morning deadline to challenge Mahmoud Khalil's release from the Louisiana detention center where he's been held since March, prompting lawyers for the Columbia University student activist to call for him to be freed immediately. New Jersey federal Judge Michael Farbiarz on Wednesday granted Khalil's request to stop the government from detaining and deporting him — for now — based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that his pro-Palestinian advocacy compromises a 'compelling' U.S. foreign policy interest, meaning U.S. support for Israel. The judge said the order wouldn't go into effect until Friday at 9:30 a.m., giving the government time to file a notice of appeal challenging his finding, a deadline that passed. 'The deadline has come and gone and Mahmoud Khalil must be released immediately,' Khalil's lawyers said in a statement to the New York Daily News. 'Anything further is an attempt to prolong his unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel detention.' In filings asking the judge to order his release, the lawyers said that 'the Government has not filed a notice of appeal of this Court's Order by the Court-ordered deadline for the preliminary injunction to be in effect. Nor has the Government represented that Mr. Khalil is being detained based on any ground other than the one the Court (barred).' The attorneys attached their email correspondence with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, in which the agency's New Orleans field office director said they had 'no information' Khalil would be released or a time estimate. Following the Friday morning filings, Farbiarz gave the government until 1:30 p.m. to respond. Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. In a statement Wednesday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin had indicated the government would challenge Farbiarz's order, saying it 'delays justice and seeks to undermine (Trump's) constitutionally vested powers.' McLaughlin said a green card was a privilege that should be revoked for people who support terrorist activity, an allegation the Trump admin has levied against Khalil without backing up. The 30-year-old grad student, a legal permanent resident, has been detained in Jena, Louisiana, since March 9, a day after agents from DHS took him into custody at his Columbia-owned apartment. In the weeks that followed, the government cited an obscure provision in a 1952 immigration law finding the office of the secretary of state can order someone deported if their beliefs could unfavorably impact U.S. foreign relations, namely, the government's policy of combating antisemitism. Khalil, a Palestinian who grew up in a Syrian refugee camp, rejects that his advocacy for civilians in war-torn Gaza and the West Bank is based on bigotry. His lawyers have pointed to public comments he made well before his arrest condemning antisemitism. Farbiarz's Wednesday opinion and order found his detention jeopardized his reputation and right to free speech. '(The) Court finds as a matter of fact that (Khalil's) career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled,' Farbiarz wrote Wednesday, 'and this adds up to irreparable harm.' The government has also cited another basis for Khalil's deportation in alleging that he failed to fill out forms when he applied for residency accurately. Farbiarz noted Wednesday that the government 'virtually never (detains)' people on such allegations and that Khalil's ongoing detention was, by all accounts, driven by Rubio's unconstitutional policy. The student activist, whose U.S. citizen wife accepted his diploma from Columbia on his behalf last month, is fighting his detention and deportation in a habeas corpus case filed in New Jersey, where he was swiftly transferred after being taken into custody. He played a prominent role in campus protests against Israeli military activity in Gaza and the West Bank and Columbia's financial ties to Israel, acting as a mediator between students and the school administration. Separately, he's faced immigration proceedings in Louisiana, where Judge Jamee Comans has sided with the government in ordering him deported. Before a hearing in that matter last month, where Khalil and other witnesses sought to convince Comans that his deportation could result in his death, he met his 1-month-old son, Deen, for the first time, who was born weeks after he was detained. -----------
