U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in a charter announcement for his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, alongside the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
(New York, New York) – A top official within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed Wednesday that Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born activist who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City will be deported to Algeria.
Khalil has been a major target for the Trump administration since his involvement in a political protest at Columbia University where students took over a building on campus, Hamilton Hall, during a pro-Palestenian protest.
In a press conference Thursday Morning, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the deportation of Khalil. “Mahmoud Khalil is a New Yorker, he should remain in New York City…”
The announcement comes after a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that had temporarily freed Khalil from immigration detention — clearing the path for ICE to take him back into custody and remove him from the United States. Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student and green card holder, became one of the highest-profile targets of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on campus protests tied to the Israel–Hamas war.
“It looks like he’ll go to Algeria. That’s what the thought is right now,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, during an appearance on Katie Pavlich’s NewsNation show.
McLaughlin delivered a blunt warning to non-citizens nationwide: visas and green cards are privileges, not rights. “You are a guest in this country – act like it,” she said, adding that immigration status does not shield foreign nationals from consequences if they violate U.S. law.
The Donald Trump administration has accused Khalil of supporting Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and of lying on immigration documents while applying for permanent residency. Khalil denies the claims and insists he does not support violence.
Khalil was first arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March 2025, making him the first campus activist detained under Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement push. His deportation case has since become a flashpoint in the broader fight over protests, national security, and who gets to remain in the United States.
While Khalil’s legal team continues to protest the decision, including a $20 million lawsuit against the federal government, DHS officials say the ruling sends a clear message: foreign nationals who back extremist causes or misrepresent themselves to stay in the U.S. should not expect leniency.
For Trump supporters, the move is being hailed as a long-overdue crackdown, and proof that the administration is serious about border security, immigration enforcement, and restoring law and order.
