During a court hearing on Tuesday, Mahmoud Khalil, the accused leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, strongly denied all accusations against him. He is facing deportation by the Trump administration for his vocal anti-Israel stance.
Khalil, accompanied by his legal team, appeared at the LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana, as the government pushes for his removal based on his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the university last year. He is currently held at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, situated four hours away from New Orleans.
About 35 people attended the hearing, including his wife, Noor Abdalla. Six wore pro-Palestinian scarves. As it ended, Khalil nodded toward them.
The Department of Homeland Security has until 6 p.m. on Wednesday to provide evidence supporting Khalil’s deportability before his upcoming hearing scheduled for Friday, April 11, at 1 p.m.
The message came weeks after ICE agents detained Khalil in New York City in early March.
He is the first in the Trump administration’s crusade to revoke student visas for participating in protests. DHS alleged that he “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
The anti-Israel protests wreaked havoc on college campuses following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, leading to Trump’s campaign promise to revoke foreigners’ student visas.
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump is quoted in a fact sheet issued by the White House. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Khalil’s attorney, Baher Amzy, for comment.
