U.S. District Judge Rules Trump Administration Cannot Deport or Detain Pro-Hamas Activist Mahmoud Khalil

Rebecca Downs | June 11, 2025 9:15 PM

Yet another U.S. district judge has ruled against the Trump administration as it tries to take action on crucial matters, this time as it applies to cases to do with immigration and terrorism. On Thursday, Judge Michael Farbiarz, of New Jersey, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, ruled that the administration cannot deport or detain Mahmoud Khalil, who has been in federal custody since early March and on track for deportation.

Khalil, a foreign national from Syria, has participated in and even led pro-Hamas activity at Columbia University and participated in it at its sister school of Barnard College, despite having already graduated.

The Trump administration has until Friday morning to appeal.

As ABC News covered:

In his ruling issued on Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz is barring the administration from seeking to remove Khalil based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that his continued presence in the country would pose a risk to foreign policy.
The judge is staying his injunction until 9:30 a.m. Friday. The timing gives the Trump administration about 40 hours to appeal the decision before Khalil must be released, his attorneys said.
The preliminary injunction will go into effect once Khalil posts a "nominal bond in the amount of $1," the judge's order said.
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But Farbiarz stated in his ruling that lawful permanent residents, like Khalil, who are accused of making misrepresentations on their applications are "virtually never detained pending removal."
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In a memo filed in the case, Rubio wrote that Khalil should be deported because of his alleged role in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States."