Immigration Judge Rules Columbia Activist Mahmoud Khalil Can Be Deported

An immigration judge said the government had adequately shown ‘clear and convincing evidence that he is removable.’

Mahmoud Khalil at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York City on April 29, 2024. Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo

An immigration judge has ruled that Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is eligible for deportation.

Immigration Judge Jamee Comans found that because of Khalil’s involvement in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia in the waning days of the Biden administration, his continued presence in the United States raised “potentially serious foreign policy consequences.”