Judge rules Mahmoud Khalil must be deported due to green card fraud

Lighting up the Greenlights Deportation incident against Mahmoud Khalil

A federal immigration judge has ordered Mahmoud Khalil to be deported to either Algeria or Syria after it was found that he misrepresented information on his U.S. green card application.

Judge Jamie Comans made her ruling on September 12 in Louisiana, stating that Khalil failed to mention his internship with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and his ties to the anti-Israel campus coalition at Columbia University.

This court decision was sealed but became public on Wednesday. The American Civil Liberties Union cited Comans, noting that these activist connections played a significant role in her ruling.

Comans rejected Khalil’s requests for relief, asserting that his omission was intentional and warranted his removal from the U.S.

Federal authorities argue that Khalil’s affiliations raise national security concerns and relate to politically sensitive matters. Khalil, who is a legal permanent resident, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8 in his Manhattan apartment.

After spending over three months in custody in Louisiana, he was released in June when U.S. District Judge Michael Fabiartz determined he posed neither a flight risk nor a public safety threat.

Fabiartz has temporarily halted Khalil’s deportation while reviewing his claim that government actions represent retaliation for his protected political speech.

Khalil’s legal representatives confirmed on Wednesday that they intend to appeal the ruling to the Immigration Appeals Committee, framing the situation as a wider civil rights issue.

“It’s not surprising that the administration continues to retaliate against me for exercising my free speech,” Khalil remarked in a statement. “Their latest move will only expose their true colors through the Kangaroo Immigration Court.”