A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered the Trump administration a victory in its efforts to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, opening the door for his rearrest. Khalil was a graduate student at Columbia University when he was arrested in March and detained for months. He missed the birth of his son, Deen, while in detention. “The Trump administration is trying everything in its power to come after me, to put the full weight of the government to actually make an example out of me,” Khalil tells Democracy Now! “The U.S. government has not brought a shred of evidence that I broke any laws.”
The appeals court did not weigh in on the constitutional merits, instead saying Khalil should have appealed his removal order in immigration court before going to a federal judge. “What people need to understand is the immigration courts are not real courts,” says Baher Azmy, a member of Khalil’s legal team. “They’re part of the executive branch.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! | Radio Free (2026-01-16T13:34:55+00:00) Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Speaks Out as New Ruling Could Lead to His Rearrest, Deportation. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/01/16/palestinian-activist-mahmoud-khalil-speaks-out-as-new-ruling-could-lead-to-his-rearrest-deportation/
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