Can Mahmoud Khalil be deported if he has a green card?

The arrest of Mahmoud Khaili has led to questions about how a legal permanent resident could face deportation — and what it could mean for issues of free speech on college campuses.

Palestinian former graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who is a green-card holder married to an American citizen, was arrested by federal immigration agents in Columbia University housing Saturday, leading to questions about how a legal permanent resident could face deportation — and what it could mean for issues of free speech on college campuses.

Khalil was a public face of the pro-Palestinian protest movement at Columbia University last spring, when large demonstrations against the war in the Gaza Strip swept college campuses around the country. 

“Immigration law does allow the federal government to deport noncitizens, even people who are green card holders,” over certain offenses or certain kinds of behavior, said Adam Cox, a law professor and immigration expert at New York University.

“The big open question is why the government thinks it can deport him,” he said.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Khalil was arrested March 9 “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism” in coordination with the State Department. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement that the administration alleges that “Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/can-mahmoud-khalil-deported-green-card-rcna195694

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