US Judge Rules Columbia Protest Leader Can Be Deported

A US immigration judge has ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who led pro-Palestinian protests, can be deported. Khalil was detained in March and informed by immigration officers that he would be deported for participating in campus protests against the war in Gaza and the university's investment ties to Israel.

Khalil's legal team argues that the US government is targeting him and other Palestinian activists for expressing views contrary to US foreign policy. This development occurs amidst increasing pressure from the Trump administration on universities. The administration is reportedly considering a consent decree for Columbia University, legally binding it to federal guidelines on combating anti-semitism, following the pulling of $400 million in federal grants and contracts over alleged anti-semitism. The Trump administration has also sent letters to 60 higher education institutions regarding alleged failures to protect Jewish students on campus, and has frozen federal funding for Cornell and Northwestern Universities while investigating potential civil rights violations.