Judge allows Trump administration to continue to detain Mahmoud Khalil

A federal judge presiding over Mahmoud Khalil’s case ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can continue to detain the Columbia University activist.

A federal judge presiding over Mahmoud Khalil’s case ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can continue to detain the Columbia University activist.

In his ruling on Friday, Michael Farbiarz of the U.S. District Court for New Jersey rejected Khalil's request for release. The judge wrote that Khalil can remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, as long as the detention is not based on a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the activist is a national security threat.

"To the extent the Petitioner requests relief from this Court, the request is denied," the judge said in his ruling.

Justice Department officials argued in the letter that while Khalil can’t be detained based on Rubio’s determination, according to the judge’s ruling, he can be detained for other reasons. The officials cited immigration-related statutes.

As a second accusation, they argued they could continue to hold Khalil for failing to disclose all required information on his legal permanent resident application. The court has allowed the government to detain Khalil based on that claim.