A New York federal judge temporarily halted deportation attempts by the Trump administration against Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist from Columbia University, until a scheduled conference on Wednesday, as per court documents.
The court filing on Monday stated: “To preserve the Court’s jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise,” as reported by CNN.
Khalil, who emerged as a prominent figure in the Columbia University demonstrations, was raised in Syria by Palestinian parentage. His spouse is an American national, expecting their child in about a month. Having completed his master’s programme at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs in the previous term, Khalil’s academic journey includes an earlier computer science qualification from the Lebanese American University in Beirut. His professional experience encompasses work at the Syria division of the British Embassy in Beirut, as detailed in his biographical information on the Society for International Development’s webpage.
He was detained Saturday night by federal immigration authorities citing a State Department directive to cancel his green card, his lawyer confirmed.
This detention represents an intensification of Trump’s actions against pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations. Trump has declared this as “the first arrest of many to come” and previously announced plans to deport international students and imprison protesters involved in “illegal protests.”
Read more:Donald Trump says arrest of Palestinian activist at Columbia University ‘is first of many to come’
Soon after the arrest, Palestine supporters gathered in lower Manhattan on Monday evening, carrying placards and demanding Khalil’s release.
At Columbia University, Khalil led anti-war demonstrations last year and faced investigation by a university committee that brought charges against numerous students for pro-Palestinian activities, according to The Associated Press. The protest coalition occasionally expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah leadership, both classified as terrorist organisations by the US.
