US board denies Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil’s bid to block deportation

A US immigration appeals board has rejected Mahmoud Khalil’s latest attempt to have his deportation case dismissed — a widely anticipated decision that moves the former Columbia University student and Palestinian activist closer to possible re-detention and removal from the country, Associated Press reported.

According to his legal team, quoted in the report, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a final removal order on Thursday. The board does not make its rulings public, and the US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Khalil said the outcome was expected, describing it as “biased” and politically driven. His lawyers maintain that he cannot legally be detained or deported while his separate case is still pending in federal court.

“The only thing I’ve done is speak out against the genocide in Palestine, and this administration is using the immigration system against me for that,” Khalil was quoted as saying.

The Board of Immigration Appeals plays a key role in setting precedent within the complex immigration court system, which falls under the Justice Department and has come under increasing scrutiny during the Trump administration.

Khalil, 31, is a legal permanent resident and was among the first persons publicly known to be detained during a federal crackdown on non-citizens critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Authorities have alleged his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University aligned with Hamas, though no evidence has been presented. Khalil has strongly denied accusations of antisemitism.

He spent 104 days in immigration detention after his arrest in March, missing the birth of his first child, before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release.

However, his federal case suffered a setback earlier this year when a US appeals panel ruled that the judge had exceeded his authority in ordering his release. In a split 2-1 decision, the panel said Khalil must first exhaust the immigration court process before pursuing relief in federal court.

His legal team has asked for a full panel review of that decision and recently sought the recusal of one appellate judge due to his prior role in Justice Department investigations involving student protesters.

Born in Syria to a Palestinian family and holding Algerian citizenship through family ties, Khalil has warned that deportation could put his life at risk.