New Orleans – Arab Canada News

Immigration Judge in Louisiana, Jamie Comans, issued a ruling in favor of the federal government in the case of Columbia University student activist, Mahmoud Khalil, granting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the green light to proceed with his deportation.

The decision comes after weeks of controversy surrounding Khalil's arrest, a Palestinian student holding a student visa, due to his participation in anti-war protests against Gaza on the campus of Columbia University in New York. Khalil's lawyers stated that U.S. authorities targeted him “because of his peaceful political activism,” asserting that the deportation decision is “politically motivated and poses a threat to free speech.”

Judge Comans rejected the defense team's arguments, considering that Khalil "violated the terms of his student visa," while human rights organizations claim he did not commit any legal violations and that the case falls under “suppressing pro-Palestine voices within U.S. universities.”

Khalil's lawyers are expected to appeal the ruling in the coming days before a specialized federal court, in an attempt to halt his impending deportation, amid widespread solidarity from his peers and activists in the academic community.