US judge orders release of pro-Palestinian activist Khalil
NEW YORK: A US judge ordered on Friday (Jun 20) that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil be released from immigration custody, a major victory for rights groups that challenged what they called the Trump administration's unlawful targeting of a pro-Palestinian activist.
Khalil, a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war on Gaza, was arrested by immigration agents in the lobby of his university residence in Manhattan on Mar 8. President Donald Trump has called the protests antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part.
Khalil condemned antisemitism and racism in interviews with CNN and other news outlets last year. A legal permanent resident of the United States, he says he is being punished for his political speech in violation of the US Constitution's First Amendment.
US District Judge Michael Farbiarz of Newark, New Jersey, ruled on Jun 11 that the government was violating Khalil's free speech rights by detaining him under a little-used law granting the US secretary of state power to seek deportation of non-citizens whose presence in the country was deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests.
However, the judge declined on Jun 13 to order Khalil's release from a detention centre in Jena, Louisiana, after the Trump administration said Khalil was being held on a separate charge that he withheld information from his application for lawful permanent residency.
Khalil's lawyers deny that allegation and say people are rarely detained on such charges. On Jun 16, they urged Farbiarz to grant a separate request from their client to be released on bail, or be transferred to immigration detention in New Jersey, to be closer to his family in New York.
Khalil, 30, became a US permanent resident last year, and his wife and newborn son are US citizens.
Trump administration lawyers wrote in a Jun 17 filing that Khalil's request for release should be addressed to the judge overseeing his immigration case, an administrative process over whether he can be deported, rather than to Farbiarz, who is considering whether Khalil's Mar 8 arrest and subsequent detention were constitutional.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Teen admits to US$245m Bitcoin theft charges, agrees to testify against co-accused including Singaporean Malone Lam
A man, whose parents were kidnapped after he took part in a US$245 million Bitcoin theft, has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges and has agreed to testify against his co-defendants, including Singaporean Malone Lam, according to court documents that were unsealed earlier this week. Veer Chetal, 19, was one of three men, along with American Jeandiel Serrano and Lam, charged with stealing 4,100 bitcoins from a victim in Washington, DC, in an elaborate online scam last August. The trio lived large after the heist, spending millions of dollars on cars, jewellery, rental mansions and nightclub parties, prosecutors say. A week after the theft, Chetal's parents were assaulted and kidnapped briefly in a failed ransom plot aimed at the teen, whom the attackers believed had a large amount of cryptocurrency, authorities said. Chetal's criminal case was unsealed on Monday (Jun 16) in federal court in Washington, revealing his guilty pleas in November and his agreement to cooperate with federal authorities investigating the Bitcoin theft. It also revealed new allegations that he was involved in about 50 similar thefts that raked in another US$3 million between November 2023 and September 2024. Lam was among 13 people indicted by a federal grand jury in May in an alleged online racketeering conspiracy involving crypto thefts across the US and overseas that netted more than US$260 million, including the US$245 million Bitcoin theft. Chetal is facing 19 to 24 years in prison, a fine between US$50,000 and US$500,000, and restitution to the victim that has yet to be determined, according federal sentencing guidelines and his plea agreement. His lawyer, David Weinstein, declined to comment, saying Chetal's case is still pending. In September last year, US federal agents with a search warrant raided Chetal's apartment in Brunswick, New Jersey, and his parents' home in Danbury, Connecticut in connection with the US$245 million Bitcoin heist. Authorities said they found more than US$500,000 in cash, expensive jewelry and watches and high-end clothing. Federal agents also said Chetal had US$39 million worth of crypto that he turned over to investigators. Authorities have alleged Chetal, Lam and Serrano were involved in online 'social engineering' attacks against crypto holders. Lam is accused of sending victims alerts about unauthorised attempts to access their crypto accounts, while the others would call the victims posing as representatives from well-known companies like Google and Yahoo and gain access to their accounts, authorities said. Messages seeking comment were left with lawyers for Lam and Serrano on Friday. A week after the theft, six Florida men were accused of kidnapping Chetal's parents in broad daylight in Danbury. One of them crashed a car into the parents' Lamborghini, while others pulled up in a van, police said. The attackers forced the couple out of their vehicle, beat them, put them in the van and tied them up, police said. The plot was foiled, and the attackers were arrested quickly because there were eyewitnesses who immediately called police, and an off-duty Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent happened to be driving by at the time of the kidnapping, authorities said. Federal agents said a seventh man, who was later arrested in connection with the kidnapping, had previously gotten into a dispute with Chetal that turned physical at a Miami nightclub. The attack on the couple is part of an increasing trend worldwide in robbers using violence to steal crypto. Chetal, who was attending Rutgers University in New Jersey at the time of the US$245 million theft and later withdrew, was born in India and came to the US with his family when he was four years old in 2010, according to court documents. His father was granted a foreign worker's visa, and his wife and children obtained related dependent visas. Federal authorities have said Chetal could face deportation as a result of the criminal case. Authorities say Chetal's father lost his job at investment bank Morgan Stanley because of the kidnapping and his son's connection to it. Chetal was initially released from federal custody on his own recognisance. But a judge ordered him detained until trial earlier this year after federal prosecutors said they discovered Chetal was involved in another crypto theft worth US$2 million last October that he did not tell them about, after he had begun cooperating with authorities. LAM'S CHARGES AND SPENDING SPREE In May, Lam was charged with heading up a 13-member crime ring that allegedly stole hundreds of millions of dollars of cryptocurrency, in addition to charges stemming from the Washington DC crypto heist. The 20-year-old then pleaded not guilty to the superseding indictment. Federal prosecutors have alleged that he orchestrated a wider scheme with a dozen other individuals. The 13 suspects allegedly became friends via online gaming platforms and they developed a scheme that netted them over US$260 million. They stole the money from crypto wallets, converted the crypto into dollars, and then laundered the money. Lam was reportedly central to the scheme and is named in the May indictment as one of the gang's two organisers. Lam had already been charged with stealing 4,100 Bitcoin from a single victim, which at the time of the theft in August 2024 was worth over US$230 million. He purportedly spent the money on nightclub visits – paying up to half a million dollars per evening – as well as buying at least 28 luxury cars, some of them worth up to US$3.8 million each. In addition, Lam purchased luxury clothing valued in the tens of thousands of dollars and rented homes in wealthy neighbourhoods in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami. Lam was arrested last September, but allegedly continued to run the organisation from behind bars. He reportedly continued working with members of the crime ring to 'pass and receive directions' while being held in detention, ahead of his trial this autumn. He even allegedly had the ring's members buy luxury bags and deliver them to his girlfriend in Miami. The 13 suspects, including Lam, have been charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act. His lawyer Scott Armstrong previously told CNA that 'Malone Lam looks forward to exercising his right to trial by jury in this case'. The trial is scheduled to begin in October. If found guilty, Lam faces more than 20 years in prison, a fine of up to US$250,000, or up to twice his gains from the alleged scams.
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
South Korea's trade chief heads to US from Jun 22 as Trump tariffs cast long shadow
SEOUL: South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo will visit the United States from Jun 22 to Jun 27, the trade ministry said on Saturday (Jun 21), amid intensifying concerns over the impact of US tariffs. The visit will include discussions with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the third round of bilateral technical discussions, a ministry official told Reuters. Further details about the meetings were not disclosed. The two countries began trade talks in April, with Seoul seeking a path to slash the stiff tariffs US President Donald Trump is angling to impose. South Korea is currently facing a 10 per cent blanket tariff and a 25 per cent country-specific duty temporarily paused for 90 days. It agreed with the US during initial trade negotiations in April to craft a trade deal reducing tariffs by Jul 8. However, political uncertainty triggered by leadership upheavals had stalled progress. "Since a South Korea-US summit has yet to take place and key ministers have not been appointed under the new administration, negotiations are likely to focus on areas that the trade ministry can manage - excluding major issues such as defence cost-sharing and exchange rates," Heo Yoon, an economics professor at Sogang University, said. "Given these circumstances, reaching a comprehensive agreement on key negotiation frameworks and agendas is expected to be challenging." The announcement of Yeo's trip to Washington comes days after South Korea launched a task force on negotiations with the US. It comprises industry ministry officials overseeing trade, manufacturing, energy and investment. According to the Industry Ministry, it will deal with tariff and non-tariff matters across industry and the energy sector, while also coordinating with the private sector. Yeo, who heads the task force, said the team has a major responsibility as "businesses and the public have experienced great difficulties due to US tariff measures".
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
US judge orders release of pro-Palestinian activist Khalil
FILE PHOTO: Protesters supporting Mahmoud Khalil march in Manhattan, the day after a U.S. immigration judge ruled that Columbia student Khalil, who led pro-Palestinian student protests on campus, can be deported, in New York City, New York, U.S., April 12, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators gather on the day of a hearing on the detention of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, outside the Federal Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo FILE PHOTO: A display in honor of Mahmoud Khalil sits on stage at the People's Graduation, hosted for Khalil and other students unable to participate in Columbia and New York University's commencement ceremony, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, U.S., May 18, 2025. REUTERS/Angelina Katsanis/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Dr. Noor Abdalla, wife of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who remains in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana after being detained in early March for his involvement in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, holds up a 'Release Mahmoud Khalil Now' protest sticker while posing for a portrait in New York City, U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Angelina Katsanis/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, U.S., June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo NEW YORK - A U.S. judge ordered on Friday that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil be released immediately from immigration custody, a major victory for rights groups that challenged what they called the Trump administration's unlawful targeting of a pro-Palestinian activist. Khalil, a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war on Gaza, was arrested by immigration agents in the lobby of his university residence in Manhattan on March 8. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has called the protests antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part. Khalil became the first target of this policy. After hearing oral arguments from lawyers for Khalil and for the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz of Newark, New Jersey, ordered DHS to release him from custody at a jail for immigrants in rural Louisiana by as soon as 6:30 pm (7:30 ET) on Friday. Farbiarz said the government had made no attempt to rebut evidence provided by Khalil's lawyers that he was not a flight risk nor a danger to the public. "There is at least something to the underlying claim that there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish the petitioner (Khalil)," Farbiarz said as he ruled from the bench, adding that punishing someone over a civil immigration matter was unconstitutional. Khalil was the latest in a string of foreign pro-Palestinian students arrested in the U.S. starting in March who have subsequently been released by a judge. They include Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysya Ozturk. Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., says he is being punished for his political speech in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. Khalil condemned antisemitism and racism in interviews with CNN and other news outlets last year. The Syrian-born activist plans to return to New York to be with his wife Dr. Noor Abdalla and their infant son who was born during Khalil's 104 days in detention. 'This ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others," Abdalla said in a statement. "Today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family and the community that has supported us since the day he was unjustly taken for speaking out for Palestinian freedom." The White House condemned the decision to release Khalil, saying he should be deported for "conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests" and fraudulently obtaining a student visa. "There is no basis for a local federal judge in New Jersey —who lacks jurisdiction — to order Khalil's release from a detention facility in Louisiana," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. "We expect to be vindicated on appeal." Even though a federal judge ordered Khalil be freed, the immigration proceedings against him continue. The Louisiana immigration judge in his case on Friday denied his asylum request, ruled he could be deported based on the government's allegations of immigration fraud, and denied a bail hearing. Farbiarz's decision rendered the bail request moot. Like others facing deportation, Khalil has avenues to appeal within the immigration system. Farbiarz is also considering Khalil's challenge of his deportation on constitutional grounds, and has blocked officials from deporting Khalil while that challenge plays out. Earlier this month, Farbiarz ruled the government was violating Khalil's free speech rights by detaining him under a little-used law granting the U.S. secretary of state power to seek deportation of non-citizens whose presence in the country was deemed adverse to U.S. foreign policy interests. On June 13, the judge declined to order Khalil's release from a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, after Trump's administration said Khalil was being held on a separate charge that he withheld information from his application for lawful permanent residency. Khalil's lawyers deny that allegation and say people are rarely detained on such charges. On June 16, they urged Farbiarz to grant a separate request from their client to be released on bail or be transferred to immigration detention in New Jersey to be closer to his family in New York. At Friday's hearing, Farbiarz said it was "highly unusual" for the government to jail an immigrant accused of omissions in his application for U.S. permanent residency. Khalil, 30, became a U.S. permanent resident last year, and his wife and newborn son are U.S. citizens. Trump administration lawyers wrote in a June 17 filing that Khalil's request for release should be addressed to the judge overseeing his immigration case, an administrative process over whether he can be deported, rather than to Farbiarz, who is considering whether Khalil's March 8 arrest and subsequent detention were constitutional. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
