The Trump administration suffered another legal setback Tuesday night in its ongoing attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and lawful U.S. resident whose case has sparked national attention and controversy.
Khalil, who recently graduated from Columbia University, has been at the center of heated legal and political debate due to his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. Trump officials have accused him of posing a foreign policy threat and are attempting to use a rarely invoked provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows for the deportation of immigrants deemed dangerous to U.S. foreign policy.
Critics of the move have blasted it as politically motivated and legally dubious, arguing that targeting Khalil for his activism is a clear violation of constitutional rights, Politico reported.
Khalil’s arrest and detention made national headlines, especially among civil rights advocates and legal experts who see the administration’s actions as an abuse of power. “Unconstitutional” has become a rallying cry among his supporters, who view the deportation attempt as a dangerous precedent for punishing political speech.
In a significant blow to the administration’s legal strategy, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled Tuesday that the case must remain in New Jersey, where Khalil was first confined, rejecting an effort to move the case to Louisiana. The move to transfer jurisdictions was seen by many as a strategic ploy, since any appeal from Louisiana would fall under the conservative-leaning 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Farbiarz issued a comprehensive 67-page decision, asserting the legal basis for keeping the case in New Jersey. He wrote that the case “can go forward in New Jersey because that is where the Petitioner was confined at that moment.”
Had the Trump administration succeeded in shifting the venue, it could have altered the legal outcome in their favor. But for now, the court’s ruling keeps the case in a more neutral jurisdiction and allows Khalil’s legal team to continue fighting the deportation order on a stronger footing.
The ruling marks a pivotal moment in a case that underscores the broader national tensions around immigration, political protest, and the limits of executive power. As legal battles continue, the spotlight on Khalil’s case only intensifies—and the administration faces growing pressure over its controversial tactics.