Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria

Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria

An immigration judge has ordered former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria, ruling that he failed to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to documents filed Wednesday in federal court by his lawyers. FOX 5 NY's Hayley Fixler has the latest details.

An immigration judge has ordered former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria, ruling that he failed to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to documents filed Wednesday in federal court by his lawyers. 

What we know:

The order comes despite a separate ruling in Khalil’s federal case in New Jersey that blocked deportation while that court considers his argument that his detention and deportation are unlawful retaliation for his Palestinian advocacy.

Khalil blames Trump admin

Khalil, who has accused the Trump administration of using "fascist tactics," says he is being targeted as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent against U.S. support for Israel.

The administration has pushed aggressively to deport Khalil and other student demonstrators over their involvement in campus protests. 

At the time of Khalil’s arrest, Homeland Security officials accused him of leading activities "aligned to Hamas," but the government has not presented evidence linking him to the militant group and made no mention of Hamas in its most recent filing.

Who is Mahmoud Khalil?

Former Columbia Univrsity student Mahmoud Khalil reacts as he arrives to Newark airport next to his wife Noor Abdalla (R) and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (L), Democrat of New York, in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 2025. Mahmoud Khali

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Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian born in Syria, was first arrested on March 8 in New York and transferred to a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana. 

His wife, a U.S. citizen, gave birth to their first child while he was in custody, thousands of miles away from his family and attorneys. 

While in detention, Khalil finished coursework for a master’s degree at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. 

Timeline:

In a letter from jail, he rejected allegations of antisemitism and accused the Trump administration of targeting him as part of a larger effort to silence dissent, writing that he hoped nonetheless to be free to witness the birth of his son.

His detention sparked remarkable outrage in New York City, where thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets in protest of his arrest.

After more than three months in custody, a Biden-appointed judge in June blocked Khalil’s deportation on foreign policy grounds and later ordered his release, ruling that he was neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. 

That decision allowed him to return to New York, where he reunited with his wife and newborn son. 

Yet the Trump administration has continued pressing for his removal.