What's next for pro-Palestinian protester and Columbia grad Mahmoud Khalil after arrest
The Department of Homeland Security issued Mahmoud Khalil a notice to appear before an immigration judge for deportation proceedings, with a hearing set for March 27 in Louisiana.
The Trump administration has filed a document seeking to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who played a major role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, saying he is “subject to removal from the United States” in documents obtained by NBC News.
Federal immigration agents arrested Khalil, 30, in New York City on Saturday and briefly took him to a detention center in New Jersey before he was transferred to the facility in Jena, Louisiana. He is an Algerian citizen of Palestinian descent, married to a U.S. citizen and a legal permanent resident of the United States.
In the document, the Department of Homeland Security cited a provision in immigration law that gives the secretary of state the authority to deport someone if it is determined that the person “would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
“The Secretary of State has determined that your presence or activities in the United States would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” it continued.
The agency issued Khalil a notice to appear before an immigration judge for deportation proceedings, with a hearing set for March 27 at the detention center in Louisiana where he is being held, according to the document obtained by NBC News. DHS said Khalil “refused to sign” the document, which was dated as having been served to him Sunday, the day after he was arrested.
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