US Court Orders Deportation of Pro-Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Khalil

A federal immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered prominent pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil deported to Algeria or, alternatively, to Syria, citing willful misrepresentation on his U.S. green card application.

In a ruling dated September 12, Judge Jamee Comans wrote: “It is hereby further ordered that Respondent be removed from the United States to Algeria, or in the alternative to Syria.” The order argued Khalil’s omission of information was not a mistake but a deliberate misrepresentation of material facts.

Khalil, a legal permanent resident married to a U.S. citizen with a U.S.-born son, rejected the ruling in a statement released through the ACLU. “It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech,” he said, calling the court a “kangaroo” process.

A former Columbia University student, Khalil emerged as a leading figure in nationwide pro-Palestinian campus protests. He was detained by immigration officials for three months beginning in March and freed in June but continued to face deportation proceedings.