Mahmoud Khalil's lawyers back in court as judge weighs whether to move case to Louisiana

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student facing deportation because of his pro-Palestinian activism on campus, appeared in court on Friday.

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student facing deportation because of his pro-Palestinian activism on campus, appeared in court on Friday.

A federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, heard arguments on the government’s request to dismiss a petition without prejudice or move the case to Louisiana, where Khalil has been held in a detention center since his March 8 arrest.

Khalil filed a lawsuit, also known as a habeas petition, protesting his detention in New York. A New York judge previously ordered the case to continue in New Jersey because Khalil’s attorneys filed the petition while he was detained there.

The judge did not rule on Friday, but he said he would issue his order as "quickly as I can."

Baher Azmy, an attorney for Khalil, said the government's request to move the case was "radical." He said the government is "infringing on Khalil's right to free speech" and expressed concerns that the longer the case drags out in court, the more fear it could trigger in others.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mahmoud-khalil-court-judge-rcna198539

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