Federal judge rules Columbia grad Mahmoud Khalil's legal case to stay in New Jersey
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- A federal judge in New Jersey has retained the case of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, rejecting the government's request to move the case to Louisiana, where he is being held, or dismiss it altogether.
In a written decision Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark said the jurisdiction over the case should remain in New Jersey since Khalil was being held there at the time his lawyer's filed their Habeas Corpus petition. The judge described the government's argument otherwise as "unpersuasive."
The ruling does not guarantee that Khalil will be moved out of a detention facility in Louisiana, where he is being held as the government seeks his deportation for his role in campus protests against Israel, but it will allow his attorneys to make their arguments for his release before a judge in New Jersey.
Khalil's wife Dr. Noor Abdalla said in a statement, she's relieved by the court's decision to keep her husband's case in New Jersey.
"This is an important step towards securing Mahmoud's freedom, but there is still a lot more to be done," she said. "As the countdown to our son's birth begins and I inch closer and closer to my due date, I will continue to strongly advocate for Mahmoud's freedom and for his safe return home so he can be by my side to welcome our first child."
The opinion, unless appealed by the government, would clear the way for Fabiarz to decide the more substantive issues of Khalil's continued confinement.
If the case were to go forward in Louisiana, it may have ultimately ended up before one of the nation's most conservative appeals courts, possibly allowing those judges to issue a precedent-setting ruling on both Khalil's case and the Trump administration's broader efforts to deport noncitizen student activists.
The Columbia University graduate student was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on what he calls antisemitic and "anti-American" campus protests. Khalil served as a spokesperson and negotiator last year for pro-Palestinian demonstrators who opposed Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Khalil, who was born in Syria to a Palestinian family, has said in a statement that his detention reflects "anti-Palestinian racism" in the U.S.
Khalil is among a half-dozen international students who have supported Palestinians to be detained by the administration in recent weeks. No charges have been filed against any of them.
The administration has argued the students' continued presence in the country undermines American foreign policy and revoked their status. Attorneys for the students have argued the administration is punishing them for lawful activity.
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is breaking news. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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