A legal battle over detained Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil that has become a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration policy will play out in federal court, with the US government indicating it would oppose the Palestinian activist’s bid for release.
According to Reuters, US District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan temporarily blocked authorities on Monday from deporting Mahmoud Khalil, 29, and scheduled a hearing for today.
Lawyers for the government plan to argue Furman did not have authority to resolve the case, and that the judge should decide on whether he has such authority before considering the merits of Khalil’s arguments, according to a joint filing submitted yesterday by Khalil’s lawyers on behalf of both parties.
They said today’s hearing would focus mostly on scheduling.
The case could ultimately test where immigration courts draw the line between protected free speech and alleged support for groups the United States calls terrorists, as US President Donald Trump seeks to fulfill his promise to deport some foreign students involved in the pro-Palestinian protest movement.
