Palestinian Columbia University graduate can't be deported, U.S. judge rules

NEW YORK, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio can't detain or remove the 30-year-old Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate of Columbia University, from the United States for now.

District Judge Michael Farbiarz of New Jersey granted the student's request to temporarily block federal officials from deporting him.

Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, has been held in a detention facility in Louisiana since he was detained in his university-owned New York City apartment building lobby in March.

His lawyers have fought for his release to be with his wife and newborn son, Deen, after the Trump administration said it stripped him of his legal status for his role in pro-Palestinian protests at the Ivy League campus in New York City.

Rubio had cited an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. It allows the secretary of state to remove someone if there was reason to believe the person's activities or presence in the country affect American foreign policy interests.

Farbiarz ruled against Rubio's authority to remove Khalil, citing harm to Khalil's career and reputation, and that it was chilling his right to speech. "This adds up to irreparable harm," he said.

"The judge's decision comes after several other legal residents targeted for their activism won custody in recent weeks, including another Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk, and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri," said ABC7 in its report about the development. ■