Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil’s enchantment, bringing activist one step nearer to deportation | EUROtoday

An immigration appeals board has denied Mahmoud Khalil’s newest bid to dismiss his deportation case, a largely anticipated ruling that brings the previous Columbia University graduate pupil and Palestinian activist one step nearer to re-arrest and doable expulsion.

The Board of Immigration Appeals issued the ultimate order of elimination on Thursday, in response to Khalil’s attorneys. The board’s rulings will not be public, and an inquiry to the U.S. Department of Justice was not instantly returned.

Khalil stated he was not stunned by the ruling, which he known as “biased and politically motivated.” His attorneys stated he can’t be lawfully detained or deported as he pursues a separate case within the federal court docket system.

“The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it,” Khalil stated in an announcement.

The Board of Immigration Appeals units precedent within the byzantine immigration court docket system, which is managed by the Department of Justice — and more and more beneath the affect of the Trump administration.

Khalil, a 31-year-old authorized everlasting resident, was the primary individual whose arrest turned publicly recognized throughout the federal crackdown on noncitizens who publicly criticized Israel and its actions in Gaza.

The authorities has claimed that Khalil’s efforts as a pacesetter of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia had been “aligned to Hamas.” They haven’t offered proof of any connection to the terrorist group, and Khalil has adamantly denied allegations of antisemitism.

After his arrest final March, Khalil spent 104 days in an immigration jail, lacking the delivery of his first youngster, earlier than he was ordered launched by a federal choose in New Jersey.

Khalil suffered a major setback in his federal case earlier this 12 months, with a U.S. appeals panel ruling the choose in New Jersey overstepped his authority by releasing him. In a 2-1 determination, the panel discovered that legislation requires the case to completely transfer by the immigration courts earlier than Khalil can problem the choice in federal court docket.

Khalil’s attorneys are requesting the complete appeals panel rethink the choice. Earlier this month, they requested one of many appellate panel’s judges to step apart due to his earlier function as a prime Justice Department official concerned in investigating pupil protesters.

Khalil was born in Syria to a Palestinian household and holds Algerian citizenship by a distant relative. He has stated that he might be focused, and even killed, if he’s deported.