Trump administration cites new grounds for deportation in Mahmoud Khalil case

Washington — The Trump administration is citing new grounds to seek the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist whose arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has triggered a national debate.

A Syrian-born immigrant with a green card, or legal permanent residency, Khalil was arrested by ICE earlier this month outside of his Manhattan home. He has remained in ICE custody in Louisiana, while the government seeks his deportation, though a lawsuit in federal court has blocked officials from deporting him from the U.S. for the time being.

Khalil was a lead protestor in high-profile demonstrations in Columbia University last year over the war in Gaza, and civil rights groups have accused the Trump administration of punishing him because of his political speech, in violation of the First Amendment. The government has rejected that accusation.