Islam Dogru and Seda Sevencan
11 April 2025•Update: 11 April 2025
NEW YORK/ISTANBUL
The Trump administration submitted a two-page memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as its only evidence to justify the deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained in March for leading pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The government filed its case with the court ahead of a ruling expected Friday.
Khalil’s attorneys, speaking at a virtual press conference, said the memo argues that foreign nationals whose presence undermines US foreign policy interests should be deported. No other evidence was presented.
“After a month of hiding the ball since Mahmoud’s late-night unjust arrest in New York and taking him away to a remote detention center in Louisiana, immigration authorities have finally admitted that they have no case whatsoever against him,” said his lead immigration attorney, Marc Van Der Hout.
Van Der Hout argued that the US administration wants to silence people who speak out against the Israeli or US governments.
“And where would this lead? Are we going to now throw people in jail for speaking out against the Social Security cuts in this country? This is a dangerous slope and we are taking a stand on behalf of Mahmoud.”
Attorney Johnny Sinodis also criticized the US government’s approach, saying the memo contains “not a single shred of proof ” that Khalil poses a threat.
He said they expect the judge to acknowledge the lack of evidence and dismiss the case at Friday’s hearing.
In the memo, Rubio argues that allowing Khalil to remain in the United States would undermine “US policy to combat antisemitism around the world and in the United States, in addition to efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States.”
On Tuesday, Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans ordered the federal government to present evidence by Wednesday justifying its attempt to deport Khalil.
Khalil, a graduate student at New York City’s Columbia University, was arrested on March 8 at the entrance of his building while returning home with his wife.
Although he holds a green card and is married to a US citizen, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained him and revoked his permanent residency, according to his attorney Amy Greer.
Rubio had previously posted on X that “we will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
After Khalil’s attorneys filed a legal challenge, a federal judge in New York issued a temporary order blocking his deportation. The case was later transferred to New Jersey after Khalil was moved to a detention facility there.
