Trump Administration Refuses To Release Mahmoud Khalil After Judge's Ruling

Despite a federal judge's ruling, the government has refused to release Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident, from detention. Earlier this week, Judge Michael E. Farbiarz found the foreign policy grounds for Khalil's detention insufficient and likely unconstitutional. Khalil was arrested in March for his pro-Palestinian activism and has been held in Louisiana since then.

The court found that Khalil's detention was based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that his presence threatened U.S. foreign policy goals, a claim the judge deemed likely unconstitutional.

The judge's order, issued on Wednesday (June 11), paused Khalil's detention until 9:30 a.m. on Friday (June 13) to allow the Trump administration time to appeal. However, the government did not file an appeal by the deadline, leaving Khalil's lawyers to request his immediate release. The field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans informed Khalil's lawyers that there are no immediate plans for his release, despite the judge's order.

“The Court instead enjoined Respondents from detaining Khalil ‘based on the Secretary of State’s determination,’’ officials wrote in the letter to the court. “That injunction does not interfere with Respondents’ authority to detain Khalil on other grounds.”