A federal judge ordered the release of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, marking a blow to the Trump administration's efforts to keep him in immigration detention in connection with his pro-Palestinian activism.
On June 20, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, of New Jersey, said the evidence submitted to the court − which government lawyers failed to contest − showed that Khalil, a 30-year-old lawful permanent resident, was not a flight risk or dangerous, and his prolonged detention since March was potentially punitive.
It was an extraordinary turn of events in the case, the first of several in which the Trump Administration sought to detain and deport students and scholars over pro-Palestinian speech or activism. The U.S. maintained the Secretary of State would order a person's removal if their actions threaten foreign policy interests.
Khalil’s lawyers said he wasn’t a flight risk, noting he’s a permanent legal resident married to an American citizen and the father of a U.S. citizen, his 2-month-old son. They noted his lack of a criminal record and that he wasn’t charged with a crime.
“We can finally breathe a sigh of relief and know that Mahmoud is on his way home to me and Deen, who never should have been separated from his father,” Noor Abdalla, Khalil’s wife, said in a statement.
