U.S. immigration judge ruled on Friday that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, allowing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to proceed with its effort to remove the Columbia University student from the United States a month after his arrest in New York City.
The ruling by Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana was not a final determination of Khalil's fate. But it represented a significant victory for the Republican president in his efforts to deport foreign pro-Palestinian students who are in the United States legally and, like Khalil, have not been charged with any crime.
Citing the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, Trump-appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined last month that Khalil could harm American foreign policy interests and should be deported for his "otherwise lawful" speech and activism.
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