Mahmoud Khalil, one of the masterminds of the anti-Israel protests at Columbia University last year, will remain in ice custody for now following a hearing in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday.
District Judge Jesse Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York previously ordered the 30-year-old not to be deported while the court considered the legal challenges posed by his lawyers.
Furman on Wednesday said his order not to expel Halil was not based on the merits of the incident that has not yet been heard. The judge spoke during a hearing on the brief schedule for Khalil's detention, as protesters carrying the Palestinian flag and signs gathered outside and demanded his release.
Khalil is in Louisiana on Saturday after ice agents arrested him on the city's Upper West Side in his college-owned apartment. According to Halil's lawyer, the agent told him he had revoked his green card and student visa.
Mahmoud Khalil, one of the masterminds of the anti-Israel protests at Columbia University last year, will remain in ice custody for now following a hearing in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton, left and Getty Images)
Ice Agent arrests anti-Israel activists who led protests for months at Columbia University
Federal lawyers argued that the venue for the case would be moved from New York City to Louisiana or New Jersey.
Brandon Waterman, who represents the Department of Justice, alleged that when the initial claim was filed and New York was not the right venue, Halil was not in New York or New Jersey.
Khalil's lawyer, Ramsi Kassem, said he had never seen the government paper but wanted to forward the case to New Jersey as it had been Khalil when the motion was filed.
People will demonstrate ahead of the hearing on March 12, 2025 regarding the detention of Mahmoud Khalil in New York City. Khalil said he was taken into custody on the ice over the weekend and his green card had been revoked. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
Colombian anti-Semitist riots reach boiling point as agitators take over academic buildings, barricaded doors
Kassem said that access to clients is strictly restricted and hampers their ability to tackle cases, which means they are seeking “normal” access to clients. The judge said he tended to provide privileged access to Khalil, allowing one privileged call today and one tomorrow.
Calling legal issues “significant and heavy,” Furman asked him to submit a joint letter on Friday when he explained that he would propose to submit a written discussion about the legal issues raised by Khalil's detention.
Qassem told Farman that Khalil was “identified, targeted and detained” due to his defense of Palestinian rights and a protected speech. He said that although Halil has no criminal conviction, he is “in custody for some reason.”
Watch: Colombian anti-Israel protest leader Mahmoud Khalil faces court hearing on detention
Khalil's lawyers intend to file an amended petition. They hope that a prompt schedule will hear incidents regarding merits and must be addressed by noon on Friday and submitted by 9pm on Thursday.
A Palestinian and permanent resident of the United States, Halil, who grew up in Syria, is now married to an American citizen who has been pregnant for eight months.
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The Department of Homeland Security said it had carried out arrests to protect US national security, claiming that Halil “led activities along Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
Earlier this week, Mahmoud Khalil, left, protester, protester. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, left, Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service Getty Images, right.)
According to CNN, Halil played a major role in the protests against Israel that shook Columbia University last year, meeting with university officials on behalf of Columbia University's Apartheid Dibust.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt defended the Trump administration's decision to arrest Halil, claiming he distributed pro-Hamas propaganda flyers on campus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
