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A Manhattan federal judge is set to hold a hearing on Wednesday morning over the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist and recent graduate of Columbia University.
Khalil, a permanent US resident with a green card, was arrested and taken into custody on Saturday night by federal immigration authorities at his university-owned apartment. His lawyer says that the authorities were acting on a state department order to revoke his green card.
Khalil, who has Palestinian heritage, served as a lead negotiator for the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University last year, mediating between the pro-Palestine protesters and the university administrators.
He is currently detained in a facility in Louisiana while awaiting immigration court proceedings.
The US government is seeking to deport Khalil, alleging that his activism constituted “activities aligned to Hamas”, but have not provided any evidence to substantiate that allegation.
Earlier this week, Jesse Furman, an Obama-appointed judge in New York’s southern district, issued a ruling preventing Khalil’s deportation while the court reviews the legal challenge brought by Khalil’s attorneys, who contend that the Trump administration is unlawfully retaliating against their client for his activism and constitutionally protected speech.
The hearing on Wednesday is scheduled for 11.30am ET in Manhattan federal court.
Khalil’s lawyers are requesting that Furman order Khalil’s return to New York, enabling him to reunite with his wife, an American citizen who is expected to give birth next month.
The Trump administration has not charged or accused Khalil of any crimes.
On Monday, Donald Trump stated that Khalil’s presence in the US was “contrary to national and foreign policy interests” and said that the arrest was the first of “many to come”. The president has repeatedly promised to revoke the visas of international students who have participated in pro-Palestine protests.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on Tuesday that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, “reserves the right to revoke the visa of Mahmoud Khalil under the Immigration and Nationality Act”, which, she said, gives him power to revoke green cards or visas from individuals that are “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interest of the United States of America”. Green cards held by permanent residents present in the US are not typically revoked without a criminal conviction or evidence of unlawful activity.
Furman, the judge overseeing the challenge to his arrest and detention, has the authority to order Khalil’s release if he finds his rights were violated.
Khalil’s unprecedented arrest has sparked protests in New York City this week and has ignited outrage from free speech and civil advocates and organizations.
In a statement she issued on Tuesday night, Khalil’s wife, who is remaining anonymous, described the dramatic arrest and a period of harassment and intimidation she said he endured in the months leading up to it.
“Instead of putting together our nursery and washing baby clothes in anticipation of our first child, I am left sitting in our apartment, wondering when Mahmoud will get a chance to call me from a detention center,” she said. “I demand the US government release him, reinstate his green card, and bring him home.”
