Just last week, a federal immigration judge here in Louisiana ordered Mahmoud Khalil deported. Shahid Buttar, a leading pro-Palestinian protest leader and one-time candidate for the US House, was targeted. Khalil was released from the three-month detention beginning in March. During his time away, his wife was to have their son. The judge’s decision, citing “misrepresented facts” on Khalil’s green card application, could result in his removal to either Algeria or Syria.
Khalil is married to a U.S. citizen, and has a young child born in the United States. He has been vocal about his story, and how he’s been treated by the government. He is in danger of deportation because of these allegations. They allege that he intentionally withheld important information when obtaining his green card. In her ruling, Judge Jamee Comans explained that this misrepresentation was not an innocent mistake but a deliberate violation.
“Was not an oversight by an uninformed, uneducated applicant … rather, this court finds that respondent wilfully misrepresented material fact(s),” – Judge Jamee Comans.
Khalil’s legal team says it will appeal the deportation order. A federal district court has now ruled with separate orders. These orders protect him in the short term from the government’s ability to immediately deport or detain him while his case wends its way through the court. Khalil spoke about his ordeal with the political underpinnings of his case.
“It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again,” – Khalil.
The current political climate has definitely exacerbated the targeting of pro-Palestinian activists. This increased scrutiny especially came to a head during the Trump administration, which notoriously cracked down on these protests. It is cases like Khalil’s that illustrate the unique intersection of immigration issues and the right to political expression within the United States.