Posted on 04/01/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
A US federal judge determined on Tuesday that Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil may challenge the legality of his arrest by immigration authorities in New Jersey, rather than in Louisiana, where he is currently held, Reuters reported.
The ruling, issued Tuesday by US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, establishes that any legal appeals in Khalil’s case will be heard by the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals instead of the 5th Circuit, widely regarded as the nation’s most conservative appellate court.
Khalil, who was behind anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia University, was detained by immigration authorities on March 8 as part of the Trump administration’s effort to combat what it describes as antisemitic and “anti-American” campus protests.
Khalil entered the United States on a student visa in 2022 and became a legal permanent resident last year.
The government accuses Khalil of failing to disclose on his residency application what it described as his "membership" in the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA. However, UNRWA and his lawyers clarify that he merely completed an unpaid internship at the agency’s New York office as part of his Columbia master’s program, which was listed in his application.
Additionally, authorities allege that Khalil did not disclose what they termed his “continued employment” at the British embassy in Beirut “beyond 2022.”
Khalil’s legal team refutes the claim, asserting that he accurately stated he left his position when he departed Beirut.
His legal team also contends that his temporary detention in New Jersey provides a valid legal basis for challenging his arrest there.
Government lawyers, however, maintain that habeas corpus petitions—used to contest detention—must be filed in the jurisdiction where the individual is currently held.
Two weeks ago, Khalil issued his first public statement since the arrest, accusing both the Trump and Biden administrations of “anti-Palestinian racism”.
“My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the US has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention,” Khalil declared.
“For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand US laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted,” he added.