Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil stands by the U.S. Capitol building, during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
(New York, NY) – On Thursday, Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil was dealt a blow in his immigration case. The Board of Immigration Appeals denied a bid to toss his pending deportation, and issued a final order of removal according to his attorneys. The proceeding was private, and there was no immediate comment from the Department of Justice.
The graduate student, who previously had a private dinner with Mayor Mamdani at Gracie Mansion, was quick to blame politics as the reason behind efforts to expel him from the country. Khalil is a legal permanent resident. He was previously arrested in March 2025 and was held at a Louisiana immigration detention center through June 2025 for allegedly engaging in activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terror group in the US. The government used the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 in their argument to deport Khalil. He was born in Syria to a Palestinian refugee family and holds citizenship in Algeria through a distant relative. The latest 2-1 decision now pushes the case all the way through the immigration courts before Khalil could appeal in federal court.
