A federal attorney urged a judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to transfer the legal proceedings concerning Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil’s detention to either New Jersey or Louisiana. These are the states where he has been held as the Trump administration pushes for his deportation in response to his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
Khalil, a lawful permanent resident married to a U.S. citizen, was taken into custody by immigration authorities in New York on Saturday. Initially detained in New Jersey, he was later relocated to an immigration facility in Louisiana.
Following his arrest, Judge Jesse M. Furman issued an order preventing Khalil’s removal from the country while the court considers a lawsuit filed by his legal team. They are demanding his transfer back to New York and release under supervision, arguing that his detention is a form of illegal government retaliation for exercising his free speech rights.
At a brief hearing on Wednesday, Department of Justice attorney Brandon Waterman requested that the case be moved from New York to either Louisiana or New Jersey, where Khalil has been held.
Calling the legal matters at stake “important and weighty,” Furman instructed both parties to file a joint letter by Friday outlining their proposed schedule for submitting written arguments related to Khalil’s detention.
Ramzi Kassem, who represents Khalil, informed the judge that since being detained, Khalil has been unable to have a private legal conversation with his attorneys.
Kassem asserted that Khalil was “identified, targeted and detained” because of his pro-Palestinian advocacy and protected speech. He emphasized that Khalil has no criminal record and yet “for some reason, is being detained.”
Furman ordered that Khalil must be granted at least one private phone call with his lawyers on Wednesday, followed by an attorney-client conference on Thursday.
Kassem also stated that Khalil’s legal team intends to submit a revised lawsuit on Thursday.
Columbia University emerged as a focal point of last year’s nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations, which led to over 2,000 arrests across various campuses.
President Donald Trump applauded Khalil’s arrest, calling it the first “of many to come” and vowing on social media to deport students who he claims engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”
Speaking to reporters during a layover in Ireland en route from Saudi Arabia to a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the notion that Khalil’s case was about free speech.
“This is about people that don’t have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card,” Rubio stated.
Khalil, who served as a spokesperson for the Columbia protests, has not been criminally charged. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the administration is pursuing his removal under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that grants the secretary of state authority to deport a noncitizen on foreign policy grounds.
Civil rights organizations and Khalil’s legal representatives argue that the government is abusing its immigration powers to suppress his speech.
His detention has led to protests in New York City and beyond. On Tuesday, NYPD officers arrested one individual and issued summonses to 11 others for alleged disorderly conduct during a demonstration near Washington Square Park in lower Manhattan.
Khalil, whose wife is expecting their first child, completed the requirements for his Columbia master’s degree in December. He was born in Syria and is the grandson of Palestinians who were displaced from their homeland, according to his lawyers’ court filings.
Jewish organizations and leaders in the U.S. have expressed differing views on Khalil’s detention.
The Anti-Defamation League welcomed the development, suggesting that it might act as a deterrent.
“We appreciate the Trump Administration’s broad, bold set of efforts to counter campus antisemitism — and this action further illustrates that resolve by holding alleged perpetrators responsible for their actions,” the ADL stated on social media.
Meanwhile, Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, condemned Khalil’s detention.
The Trump administration “is exploiting real concerns about antisemitism to undercut democracy: from gutting education funding to deporting students to attacking diversity, equity, & inclusion,” she wrote on Bluesky. “As we’ve repeatedly said: this makes Jews — & so many others — less safe.”
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