Latest news with #JudgeFarbiarz
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge rules Trump administration can no longer detain Mahmoud Khalil on claims he's a threat to foreign policy
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration can no longer detain Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil on the basis of federal claims that he is a threat to US foreign policy. In his order on Wednesday, Judge Michael E Farbiarz said that the ruling will go into effect at 9.30am on Friday, adding: 'This is to allow the respondents to seek appellate review should they wish to.' Khalil, who has not been charged with a crime, had been deemed a threat to US foreign policy by secretary of state, Marco Rubio, prompting federal authorities to detain him in March. In his ruling, Farbiarz wrote: 'The petitioner's career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled – and this adds up to irreparable harm.' Despite his latest order, Farbiarz did note that Khalil can still remain in custody on the basis of federal officials' claims that Khalil inaccurately filled out his green card application. 'To be sure, it might be argued that the petitioner would be detained anyway. After all, as noted above, the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to remove the petitioner based not only on the Secretary of State's determination – but also on a second basis, the Petitioner's alleged failure to accurately complete his lawful-permanent-resident application,' Farbiarz wrote. He added that his findings 'have no impact on efforts to remove the petitioner for reasons other than the Secretary of State's determination'. Khalil has been held in a detention facility in Louisiana since March as his case moved through the courts. In April, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled the Trump administration could move ahead with Khalil's deportation, although Farbiarz, in a separate case on the legality of the detention, ordered the government not to remove him. Late last month, Farbiarz wrote that the government's effort was likely unconstitutional. His arrest was the first in the wave of arrests of students as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism in US universities. In the weeks after Khalil's arrest, the government arrested an international Tufts student who had co-authored a campus newspaper op-ed about Gaza in the street and a Columbia student attending a naturalization interview and sought to deport a Columbia student who had lived in the US since she was seven. Khalil was taken into custody on 8 March by immigration agents who refused to provide a warrant, he had previously said. He described his time in custody in Louisiana as 'long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against a great many people precluded from the protections of the law'. While being detained he missed the birth of his first child, whom he briefly met last month and was able to hold despite the government attempting to block a 'contact visit'. Earlier this month, he described the pain of missing the birth of the baby, who is named Deen. 'Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,' Khalil said. 'I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my son's first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Judge Says Trump Cannot Deport Or Detain Mahmoud Khalil—For Now
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student arrested in March over his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, cannot be deported or detained, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, though the order does not take effect until Friday. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz granted Khalil's motion to temporarily block federal officials from deporting him from the U.S., pushing against the Trump administration's claims of foreign policy interests it cited in its reasoning for Khalil's arrest. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Federal judge rules that Trump administration can no longer detain Mahmoud Khalil
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration can no longer detain Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. In his order on Wednesday, Judge Michael E Farbiarz said that the ruling will go into effect at 9.30am on Friday, adding: 'This is to allow the respondents to seek appellate review should they wish to.' Khalil has been held in a detention facility in Louisiana since March. Earlier this month, he described the pain of missing the birth of his first child while being detained, saying: 'When I heard my son's first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep.' This story will be updated …
Al Arabiya
29-05-2025
- General
- Al Arabiya
US effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy ground likely unconstitutional: Judge
A federal judge said the Trump administration's effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil because of his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University likely violates the Constitution. In a lengthy order issued Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz wrote the government's primary justification for removing Khalil — that his beliefs may pose a threat to US foreign policy — could open the door to vague and arbitrary enforcement. Still, Farbiarz stopped short of ordering Khalil released from a Louisiana jail, finding his attorneys had not sufficiently responded to another charge brought by the government: that Khalil did not properly disclose certain personal details in his permanent residency application. The judge said he would review additional evidence in the coming days as he continues to consider Khalil's request for release. 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 widening crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. He has been held for nearly 12 weeks at an immigration detention center in Jena, Louisiana, missing the birth of his first child and recent graduation from Columbia University. Attorneys for Khalil argue his detention is part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to suppress constitutionally protected free speech. In letters sent from the jail, Khalil has described his arrest as 'a direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza.' The federal government has not accused Khalil of breaking any laws. Instead, they have submitted a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing that Khalil's presence in the country may pose a threat to US foreign policy interests. The government has offered the same justification to detain other pro-Palestinian activists, including another student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. All three have won their custody in recent weeks as they continue to fight their cases. In Khalil's case, the government also said he withheld information from his residency application about his involvement in some organizations, including a United Nations agency that resettles Palestinian refugees and a Columbia protest group. The judge on Wednesday said attorneys for Khalil had not properly responded to those allegations, but would be permitted to address the issue in the future. An attorney for Khalil, Baher Azmy, said the charges were 'factually baseless and a pretextual punishment for his First Amendment speech.'
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Judge says US effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional
A federal judge said the Trump administration's effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil because of his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University likely violates the Constitution. In a lengthy order issued Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz wrote the government's primary justification for removing Khalil — that his beliefs may pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy — could open the door to vague and arbitrary enforcement. Still, Farbiarz stopped short of ordering Khalil released from a Louisiana jail, finding his attorneys had not sufficiently responded to another charge brought by the government: that Khalil did not properly disclose certain personal details in his permanent residency application. The judge said he planned to issue an order shortly outlining next steps in the case. 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 Donald Trump's widening crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. He has been held for nearly 12 weeks at an immigration detention center in Jena, Louisiana, missing the birth of his first child and recent graduation from Columbia University. Attorneys for Khalil argue his detention is part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to suppress constitutionally protected free speech. In letters sent from the jail, Khalil has maintained that his arrest was 'a direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza.' The federal government has not accused Khalil of breaking any laws. Instead, they have submitted a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing that Khalil's presence in the U.S. may pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests. The government has offered the same justification to detain other pro-Palestinian activists, including another student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. All three have won their custody in recent weeks as they continue to fight their cases. In Khalil's case, the government also said he withheld information from his residency application about his involvement in some organizations, including a United Nations agency that resettles Palestinian refugees and a Columbia protest group. The judge on Wednesday said attorneys for Khalil had not properly responded to those allegations, but would be permitted to address the issue in the future.
