Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-born Columbia University graduate and activist, walked free Friday after a federal judge ordered his release from immigration detention.
Khalil was held for 104 days in a Louisiana facility under a rarely used section of immigration law, after participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia. Though he faced no criminal charges, his detention drew widespread criticism from civil liberties groups who said the government was targeting political speech.
U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, presiding in New Jersey, ruled that the government presented no evidence Khalil posed a flight risk or public threat. He also issued an injunction to block Khalil’s deportation while his constitutional challenge proceeds.
“The government’s position is as thin legally as it is troubling politically,” Farbiarz wrote in the decision.
Khalil was greeted by supporters outside the facility, where he declared “justice prevailed” and said he looked forward to reuniting with his wife and newborn son in New York.
His release marks a growing series of court defeats for the Trump administration’s continued use of its policies aimed at foreign nationals tied to campus protests. Similar cases involving Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysa Ozturk also ended in court-ordered releases.
The Department of Homeland Security said it plans to appeal the decision, arguing that federal courts lack jurisdiction over certain detention matters. For now, Khalil remains free while his asylum and First Amendment case moves forward.
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