Immigration Board Issues Final Order of Removal for Mahmoud Khalil
Board of Immigration Appeals denied Khalil's bid, issuing a final order of removal and advancing deportation efforts while separate federal litigation continues.
TownhallPalestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Is One Step Closer to Deportation After This Immigration Board Ruling
FOX NewsAnti-Israel agitator Mahmoud Khalil one step closer to deportation with immigration board ruling
RedState'Palestinian' Activist's Appeal Denied, Path to Removal Now Clearer
Straight Arrow NewsMahmoud Khalil appeal denied, putting him closer to deportation
Overview
An immigration appeals board issued a final order of removal for Mahmoud Khalil on Thursday, denying his bid to dismiss his deportation case, Khalil's lawyers said.
The ruling advances the Trump administration's effort to deport the 31-year-old lawful permanent resident for his role leading pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, his legal team said.
Khalil called the decision "biased and politically motivated," said he has committed no crime, and his lead attorney vowed to keep fighting the ruling, the ACLU and his lawyers said.
Khalil spent 104 days in immigration detention, missed the birth of his first child, and a U.S. appeals panel previously ruled 2-1 that a New Jersey judge overstepped in ordering his release.
His lawyers have asked the full appeals panel to reconsider and sought a judge's recusal, and they say he cannot be lawfully detained or deported while separate federal court litigation continues.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story sympathetically toward Khalil by using evaluative descriptors (e.g., "byzantine" system, "largely expected" ruling), prioritizing humanizing details (missed child's birth, risk if deported) and highlighting lack of evidence for government assertions. Sources prominently present Khalil's quoted grievances while noting legal procedural context.