NEW YORK (AP) — With a deadline set by an immigration judge to provide evidence in the deportation case of Columbia University activist, Mahmoud Khalil, the United States government has instead submitted a brief document signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, invoking the authority of the Trump administration to expel non-citizens who harm foreign policy interests.
The two-page document, to which The Associated Press had access, does not accuse Khalil of any criminal behavior.
Born in Syria into a refugee family, Khalil is a legal permanent resident in the United States and a graduate student who last year served as a representative of campus activists during protests against Israel’s attacks and bombings in Gaza.
In March, the activist was arrested in New York and transferred to a detention center in Louisiana.
Why does the United States government want to expel a Palestinian activist?
Rubio suggested that Khalil could face expulsion due to his convictions.
It is stated in the document that even though Khalil’s actions were “otherwise legal,” allowing him to stay in the country would weaken “United States policy to combat antisemitism worldwide and in the United States, as well as efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States.”
Rubio expressed in the undated memorandum that “forgiving antisemitic behavior and disruptive protests in the United States” could significantly weaken that crucial foreign policy objective.
On Wednesday, the presentation took place after Judge Jamee Comans instructed the government to show the evidence against Khalil before a hearing scheduled for Friday, where it will be decided if he can remain in custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the detention center in Louisiana.
Khalil’s legal representatives stated that the document showed that the Trump administration was “targeting Mahmoud’s freedom of expression rights regarding Palestine.”
“After a month of keeping the situation secret since Mahmoud’s wrongful arrest during the night in New York and his transfer to a distant detention center in Louisiana, immigration authorities have finally acknowledged that they have no case against him,” expressed attorneys Marc Van Der Hout and Johnny Sinodis in a joint statement.
Who is Mahmoud Khalil?
On March 8th, Khalil, 30 years old, was arrested in New York and transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. He recently completed his master’s studies at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs. He is married to an American woman who is due to have a baby this month.
Khalil has vehemently denied the accusations of antisemitism, pointing to the Trump administration in a letter sent from prison the previous month for “targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent.” He added, “I still hope to have the freedom to be present at the birth of my first child.”
Although Rubio’s memo mentions other documents, including a “profile of Mahmoud Khalil” and a letter from the Department of Homeland Security, according to Khalil’s lawyers, the government did not submit those documents to the immigration court.
When Khalil was arrested, Tricia McLaughlin, who is a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, blamed the activist for leading actions “aligned with Hamas.”
However, authorities have not provided any evidence linking Khalil to Hamas, and did not mention that group in their most recent presentation.