A federal judge in New York has denied the Trump administration’s attempt to dismiss a legal challenge from Columbia University anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil and ordered the case to be transferred to New Jersey, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and permanent US resident, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in New York over his role in anti-Israel protests on campus. Initially held in New Jersey, he was later transferred to Louisiana, where he remains in custody.
The Trump administration has been pushing for Khalil’s deportation. However, two days after his arrest, Judge Jesse Furman issued an order preventing the government from deporting him while his legal challenge proceeds.
Federal prosecutors then requested that Khalil’s case be transferred from New York to Louisiana, where he is currently being held. Meanwhile, his attorneys have argued for his release on bail, which would allow him to be with his wife, an American citizen expecting their child next month.
In his ruling Wednesday, Judge Furman determined that because Khalil was in New Jersey when his legal team filed the petition, the New York court “lacks jurisdiction over most, if not all, of Khalil’s claims.” He further stated that legal statutes require the case to be transferred to New Jersey rather than Louisiana, as it was “the one and only district in which Khalil could have filed his Petition when he did.”
Furman also reaffirmed that his March 10 order barring Khalil’s deportation remains in effect “unless and until the transferee court orders otherwise.”
While Khalil’s legal team has pushed for his immediate release, Judge Furman has not yet ruled on that request, focusing instead on jurisdictional matters.
On Tuesday, Khalil issued his first public statement since the arrest, accusing both the Trump and Biden administrations of “anti-Palestinian racism”.
“My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the US has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention,” Khalil declared.
“For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand US laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted,” he added.
Khalil’s arrest followed the Trump administration’s official announcement that it would revoke $400 million in federal grants due to Columbia’s handling of antisemitism.
Columbia has come under increased scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on campus since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023 and has seen a resurgence of anti-Israel activity in recent weeks.
In January, anti-Israel students disrupted an Israeli history class by banging drums, chanting “Free Palestine,” and distributing fliers that depicted a boot stomping on a Star of David.
The students were later expelled, prompting protests at Barnard College. The demonstrations escalated when protesters took over the Barnard College library, leading to multiple arrests.
