An immigration judge has ordered Mahmoud Khalil, a former Palestinian activist associated with Columbia University, to be deported to either Algeria or Syria for refusing to disclose specific details related to his green card application.
“The court determined that the respondent understands the implications of this decision. Candidly revealing his affiliations could lead to further inquiries and potentially result in a denial of his conditional permanent residence application,” Immigration Judge Jamie Comans explained regarding the situation.
“The court found that the respondent intentionally misrepresented crucial information to navigate around the immigration process and minimize the chance of application denial,” Comans added. “This court cannot accept such behavior by offering exemptions; doing so would only encourage others to similarly misrepresent facts in hopes of receiving leniency from the U.S. government.”
Oka has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for their take on the case.
“It’s not surprising that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for exercising my right to free speech. Their latest move once again exposes their true nature through this unfair immigration court process,” Khalil stated.
His legal team is preparing to contest the ruling by appealing it to federal judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey. Farbiarz had previously decided in June that Khalil, who has held a green card, could be released after he was initially detained in March amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown. As a condition for his release, Khalil, who is a Syrian-born Palestinian, had to surrender his passport and travel documents.
The ruling from Comans was issued on September 12th. Khalil’s legal team indicated they are within the 30-day window to appeal to the Immigration Appeals Committee.
“Given these circumstances, the lawyers for the signatories who issued a statement condemning the actions against the petitioner believe there is a good chance the Board of Immigration Appeals will respond quickly,” they said.
In addition to the case in New Jersey, Khalil has another pending matter in Philadelphia.
After his detention in March, Khalil spent over three months in a Louisiana facility, during which he was told his presence posed a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Regrettably, that time included missing the birth of his first child.
