Mahmoud Khalil’s Lawyers Appear In New Jersey Court Over Jurisdiction Of Columbia Activist’s Case

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – JUNE 01: Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil talks to the press during the press briefing organized by Pro-Palestinian protesters who set up a new encampment at Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus on Friday evening, in New York City, United States on June 01, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student facing deportation for his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests, appeared before a judge in New Jersey to debate where Khalil’s fight to be released from federal custody should play out. The Trump administration wants the case moved to Louisiana, where Khalil is being held in an immigration detention center. The judge said on Friday that he would consider the venue issues at play and issue a decision soon. The administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorizing the secretary of state to deport noncitizens whose presence in the country threatens U.S. foreign-policy interests.