Latest news with #Comans
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Wilkinsburg community on the lookout for group of men targeting young women
There's a new warning out in Wilkinsburg. The borough's mayor says police are on the lookout regarding information about concerning acts by young men. Wilkinsburg's mayor, Dontae Comans, says there's some concerning behavior going on. The mayor says law enforcement has shared information about young men targeting women. "You think people have more sense to do something better for themselves rather than going around tormenting other people," one member of the community told KDKA-TV. Law enforcement says the young men are shooting at them using stun guns, air pistols, and BB guns. The mayor says Wilkinsburg police officers are increasing patrols in response. People we spoke with expressed worry, but there's also a sense of optimism. "You gotta pray that these people have some morals and values, and that they shouldn't be shooting at anybody," another member of the community told KDKA-TV. Comans says people should always be aware of their surroundings. He said in a Facebook post that they should walk in pairs or groups if you can, especially during the evening or where there are not many people around. Comans also said, "If you see something, say something."
Japan Times
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
U.S. judge rules Palestinian Columbia student can be deported
U.S. immigration judge ruled on Friday that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, allowing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to proceed with its effort to remove the Columbia University student from the United States a month after his arrest in New York City. The ruling by Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana was not a final determination of Khalil's fate. But it represented a significant victory for the Republican president in his efforts to deport foreign pro-Palestinian students who are in the United States legally and, like Khalil, have not been charged with any crime. Citing the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, Trump-appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined last month that Khalil could harm American foreign policy interests and should be deported for his "otherwise lawful" speech and activism. Comans said that she did not have the authority to overrule a secretary of state. The judge denied a motion by Khalil's lawyers to subpoena Rubio and question him about the "reasonable grounds" he had for his determination under the 1952 law. The judge's decision came after a combative 90-minute hearing held in a court located inside a jail complex for immigrants surrounded by double-fenced razor wire run by private government contractors in rural Louisiana. Khalil, a prominent figure in the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that has roiled Columbia's New York City campus, was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, holds Algerian citizenship and became a U.S. lawful permanent resident last year. Khalil's wife is a U.S. citizen. For now, Khalil remains in the Louisiana jail where federal authorities transferred him after his March 8 arrest at his Columbia University apartment building some 1,930 kilometers away. Comans gave Khalil's lawyers until April 23 to apply for relief before she considers whether to issue a deportation order. An immigration judge can rule that a migrant cannot be deported because of possible persecution in a home country, among other limited grounds. In a separate case in New Jersey, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz has blocked deportation while he considers Khalil's claim that his arrest was made in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for freedom of speech. As Comans adjourned, Khalil leaned forward, asking to address the court. Comans hesitated, then agreed. Khalil quoted her remarks at his hearing on Tuesday that nothing was more important to the court than "due process rights and fundamental fairness." "Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present today or in this whole process," Khalil said. "This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, a thousand miles away from my family." The judge said her ruling turned on an undated, two-page letter signed by Rubio and submitted to the court and to Khalil's counsel. Khalil's lawyers, appearing via a video link, complained they were given less than 48 hours to review Rubio's letter and evidence submitted by the Trump administration to Comans this week. Marc Van Der Hout, Khalil's lead immigration attorney, repeatedly asked for the hearing to be delayed. Comans reprimanded him for what the judge said was straying from the hearing's purpose, twice saying he had "an agenda." Comans said that the 1952 immigration law gave the secretary of state "unilateral judgment" to make his determination about Khalil. Khalil should be removed, Rubio wrote, for his role in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States." Rubio's letter did not accuse Khalil of breaking any laws, but said the State Department can revoke the legal status of immigrants who could harm U.S. foreign policy interests even when their beliefs, associations or statements are "otherwise lawful." After Comans ended the hearing, several of Khalil's supporters wept as they left the courtroom. Khalil stood and smiled at them, making a heart shape with his hands. Khalil has said criticism of the U.S. government's support of Israel's military occupation of Palestinian territories is being wrongly conflated with antisemitism. His lawyers told the court they were submitting into evidence Khalil's interviews last year with CNN and other news outlets in which he denounces antisemitism and other prejudice. His lawyers have said the Trump administration was targeting him for protected speech including the right to criticize American foreign policy. "Mahmoud was subject to a charade of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing and a weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent," Van Der Hout said in a statement after the hearing. The American immigration court system is run and its judges are appointed by the U.S. Justice Department, separate from the government's judicial branch.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration judge rules Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil can be deported
April 11 (UPI) -- A federal immigration judge on Friday ruled that Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be deported from the United States though he is a legal permanent resident. Khalil, 30, is accused of supporting Hamas, which is a designated foreign terrorist organization, including leading protests at the private Ivy League school in New York. In Louisiana, Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans determined Khalil can be removed from the nation. She gave Khalil's lawyers until April 23 to file and seek relief to stop the process. Comans, who was appointed by the Department of Justice in January 2023, scheduled the Friday hearing to give Khalil's legal team time to review the evidence against him if any is provided. Khalil spoke to the judge after the ruling. "I would like to quote what you said last time that there's nothing that's more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness," he said. "Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present today or in this whole process. "This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, 1,000 miles away from my family. I just hope that the urgency that you deemed fit for me are afforded to the hundreds of others who have been here without hearing for months." His supporters in the courtroom wept as the judge made her ruling. A federal judge in New Jersey earlier ruled that Khalil cannot be deported while the proceedings are ongoing. On Wednesday, the DHS said it immediately will begin screening visa applicants' social media for "antisemitic activity and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests." The Trump administration has canceled the visas of at least 529 students, faculty and researchers from 88 colleges and universities, according to a CNN review. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Khalil, 30, on March 8. ICE transferred Khalil to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, N.J., and then his current location in Jena, La., where Comans is presiding over his case. Comans said Khalil can be deported to his native Syria or Algeria, where he is a citizen. Khalil is married to a U.S. citizen, Noor Abdalla, who is due to give birth soon, Khalil's attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, told the court Tuesday. The U.S. government said it has the power to revoke Khalil's legal permanent resident status under the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952. The seldom-used law gives the secretary of state wide authority. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Khalil's "presence or activities in the United States" would create "serious adverse foreign policy consequences" for the nation. Khalil is accused of withholding information from the DHS regarding membership in Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which has organized protests and takeovers of university buildings at Columbia. He received his master's degree in public administration in December. "We believe that it is the highest honor of our lives to struggle for the cause of Palestinian liberation," Khalil said in a column in the Columbia University Spectator student newspaper published seven days ago. Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,100. Subsequently, more than 61,700 Palestinians died in Gaza in the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration judge rules student activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported from US
Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be deported as a national security risk, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled on Friday during a hearing over the legality of removing the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations from the US. Immigration Judge Jamee E Comans said, at the conclusion of a hearing in Jena, that the government's contention that Mr Khalil's presence in the United States posed 'potentially serious foreign policy consequences' was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation. Ms Comans said the government had 'established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable'. Lawyers for Mr Khalil are expected to appeal and a federal judge in New Jersey has temporarily barred his removal from the country. Mr Khalil, a legal US resident, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in the lobby of his university-owned apartment, the first arrest under President Donald Trump's promised crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza. Within a day, he was flown across the country and taken to an immigration detention centre in Jena, thousands of miles from his attorneys and wife, a US citizen who is due to give birth soon. Mr Khalil's lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention, saying the Trump administration is trying to crack down on free speech protected by the US Constitution. US secretary of state Marco Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify Mr Khalil's deportation, which gives him the power to deport those who pose 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States'. At Friday's hearing, Mr Khalil's lawyer, Marc Van Der Hout, told the judge that the government's submissions to the court prove the attempt to deport his client 'has nothing to do with foreign policy'. Earlier this week, Ms Comans challenged the government to share proof that Mr Khalil should be expelled from the country for his role in campus protests against Israel and the war in Gaza. She said if evidence does not support his removal, she would 'terminate the case on Friday'. On Friday, Justice Department lawyers said in papers filed in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, that Ms Comans would not have the authority to immediately free Mr Khalil. They said an immigration judge could determine if Mr Khalil is subject to deportation and then conduct a bail hearing afterwards if it is found that he is not. Mr Khalil is not accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The government, however, has said that non-citizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country for expressing views that the administration considers to be antisemitic and 'pro-Hamas', referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on October 7 2023. Mr Khalil, a 30-year-old international affairs graduate student, had served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists at Columbia University who took over a campus lawn last spring to protest Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The university brought police in to dismantle the encampment after a small group of protesters seized an administration building. Mr Khalil is not accused of participating in the building occupation and was not among the people arrested in connection with the demonstrations. But images of his maskless face at protests, along with his willingness to share his name with reporters, have made him an object of scorn among those who saw the protesters and their demands as anti-semitic. The White House accused Mr Khalil of 'siding with terrorists', but has yet to cite any support for the claim. Federal judges in New York and New Jersey have ordered the government not to deport Mr Khalil while his case plays out in court. The Trump administration has said it is taking at least 400 million dollars in federal funding away from research programs at Columbia and its medical centre to punish it for not doing enough to fight what it considers to be anti-semitism on campus. Some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracised because of their faith or their support of Israel. Immigration authorities have cracked down on other critics of Israel on college campuses, arresting a Georgetown University scholar who had spoken out on social media about the Israel-Gaza war, cancelling the student visas of some protesters and deporting a Brown University professor who they said had attended the Lebanon funeral of a leader of Hezbollah, another militant group that has fought with Israel.
Los Angeles Times
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Immigration judge finds that Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported
JENA, La. — Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be kicked out of the U.S. as a national security risk, an immigration judge in Louisiana found Friday during a hearing over the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The government's contention that Khalil's presence in the United States posed 'potentially serious foreign policy consequences' was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation, Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans said at the conclusion of a hearing in Jena. Comans said the government had 'established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable.' Lawyers for Khalil said they plan to keep fighting and will seek a waiver. And a federal judge in New Jersey has temporarily barred Khalil's deportation. Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in the lobby of his university-owned apartment, the first arrest under President Trump's promised crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza. Within a day, he was flown across the country and taken to an immigration detention center in Jena, thousands of miles from his attorneys and wife, a U.S. citizen who is due to give birth soon. Khalil's lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention, saying the Trump administration is trying to crack down on free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify Khalil's deportation, which gives him power to deport those who pose 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' At Friday's hearing, Khalil attorney Marc Van Der Hout told the judge that the government's submissions to the court prove the attempt to deport his client 'has nothing to do with foreign policy.' Earlier this week, Comans challenged the government to share proof that Khalil should be expelled from the country for his role in campus protests against Israel and the war in Gaza. She said if evidence does not support his removal, she would 'terminate the case on Friday.' On Friday, Justice Department attorneys said in papers filed in federal court in Newark, N.J., that Comans would not have the authority to immediately free Khalil. They said an immigration judge could determine if Khalil is subject to deportation and then conduct a bail hearing afterward if it is found that he is not. Khalil isn't accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The government, however, has said that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country for expressing views that the administration considers to be antisemitic and 'pro-Hamas,' referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Khalil, a 30-year-old international affairs graduate student, had served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists at Columbia University who took over a campus lawn last spring to protest Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The university brought police in to dismantle the encampment after a small group of protesters seized an administration building. Khalil is not accused of participating in the building occupation and wasn't among the people arrested in connection with the demonstrations. But images of his maskless face at protests, along with his willingness to share his name with reporters, have made him an object of scorn among those who saw the protesters and their demands as antisemitic. The White House accused Khalil of 'siding with terrorists,' but has yet to cite any support for the claim. Federal judges in New York and New Jersey have ordered the government not to deport Khalil while his case plays out in court. The Trump administration has said it is taking at least $400 million in federal funding away from research programs at Columbia and its medical center to punish it for not doing enough to fight what it considers to be antisemitism on campus. Some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracized because of their faith or their support of Israel. Immigration authorities have cracked down on other critics of Israel on college campuses, arresting a Georgetown University scholar who had spoken out on social media about the Israel-Hamas war, canceling the student visas of some protesters and deporting a Brown University professor who they said had attended the Lebanon funeral of a leader of Hezbollah, another militant group that has fought with Israel. Cline and Brumback write for the Associated Press. Brumback reported from Atlanta. AP reporter Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.
