A federal judge in New York has ruled that Mahmoud Khalil will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Louisiana as legal proceedings continue over his detention and potential deportation.
Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, was arrested at his New York home on Saturday, his green card revoked over his involvement in campus protests against Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
Judge Jesse Furman blocked any immediate deportation efforts, instructing the federal government to appear in court alongside Khalil's attorneys before any further action is taken.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Khalil's lawyers sought to have him returned to New York, where he lives with his pregnant wife, but the judge ordered that he remain detained at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. Khalil was transferred to the facility without prior notice to his wife or attorneys.
A lawyer for the US government said a federal judge in New York does not have jurisdiction to hear a Columbia University student's challenge to his arrest by immigration authorities.
Brandon Waterman, a government lawyer, said Khalil was detained at an immigration facility in New Jersey at the time his lawyers filed a challenge to the legality of his arrest on Sunday morning.
TRT Global - Students of the Ivy League university condemn the targeting of the Gaza genocide activist, fearing they might be next as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on campus protests over "anti-Semitism" allegations.
Furman said that in subsequent court papers, Waterman should address whether there might be an exception to a rule that a case should be heard in the jurisdiction where a detainee is currently held in instances where the government moves an individual to prevent his lawyers from knowing where to file their case.
"You might want to address it," the judge said.
Khalil's legal team told the court they have yet to have a privileged call with him.
"It's hard for us to continue the work the way we would normally," attorney Ramzi Kassem said, citing difficulties due to Khalil's transfer.
Khalil's wife, who is eight months pregnant, has also been unable to communicate with him since his transfer, his lawyers said.
TRT Global - Citing First Amendment and Supreme Court ruling, experts argue Trump administration's deportation attempt could fail but may deter non-citizens from voicing opinions that clash with Washington's policy on Israel-Palestine conflict.
'An intense and targeted doxxing campaign'
She described experiencing "an intense and targeted doxxing campaign" focused on "spreading false claims about my husband that were simply not based in reality."
She said Khalil had been seeking legal help for that in the days before a federal agent approached them outside their apartment building and handcuffed Khalil.
Baher Azmy, legal director for the Center for Constitutional Rights and part of Khalil's legal team, condemned the government's actions outside the court.
"The US government has taken a position that it can arrest, detain, and seek to deport a lawful permanent resident exclusively because of his peaceful, constitutionally protected activism," Azmy said.
"It’s largely unprecedented, save for ugly historical precedents including the Red Scare and McCarthyism."
Vowing continued resistance against what he called government repression, Azmy added, "We cannot hide in the face of this amount of repression. We'll be fighting in the courts and fighting in the streets to bring Mahmoud home and prevent this level of repression from spreading."
