US judge orders deportation of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Syria, Algeria

A U.S. immigration judge has ordered the deportation of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Syria or Algeria, stating, “Mr Khalil willfully misrepresented material facts for the sole purpose of circumventing the immigration process.”

The lawyers for the 30-year-old, permanent US resident of Palestinian descent, have announced that they would challenge the decision of Louisiana-based Judge Jamee Comans.

Reacting to the development, Mr Khalil said that he was not surprised to be continuously targeted by the Trump administration for merely exercising his right to free speech.

Mr Khalil was a leading figure in protests at Columbia University against Israel’s genocidal war against Palestine.

He was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in March this year and held for three months at a detention centre in Louisiana.

He was released on June 20 after a judge ruled that Khalil was neither a flight risk nor a threat to his community.

The U.S. government has accused the rights activist of holding a membership of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and concealing it on his immigration documents.

Mr Khalil has declared the accusation against him as “baseless fabrications and ridiculous”. 

He added that the government is targeting him for standing firmly with Palestine and opposing Israel’s genocidal war against Palestine.