Palestinian activist at Columbia University remains in Louisiana ICE facility after court conference

MANHATTAN (CN) — Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian Columbia University graduate who the Trump administration is trying to deport for leading campus protests against Israel, told a judge on Wednesday that they are having trouble reaching their client from his detention center in Jena, Louisiana.

“Access to our client is severely limited by the fact that he is in Louisiana,” attorney Ramzi Kassem told the court, claiming that he has been unable to get a privileged phone call with Khalil until March 20.

According to Kassem, his client was “taken at night” by federal authorities from his New York City apartment on Saturday, then detained at a New Jersey facility before being transported once more to Louisiana, where he sits now awaiting possible deportation. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident but was told by federal agents that his green card was being revoked.

His only crime, according to Kassem, was his “advocacy for Palestinian rights.”

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the arrest on Monday, writing in a statement that Khalil was detained pursuant to “President [Donald] Trump’s executive orders prohibiting antisemitism.” Trump doubled down with his own statement on Monday, writing that Khalil’s arrest “is the first of many to come.”

On Wednesday, Khalil’s attorneys convened in a packed Manhattan courtroom for a conference on a habeas corpus petition he filed over the weekend, which challenged his arrest and potential deportation as an unconstitutional affront to free speech.

“The U.S. government has made clear that they will use immigration enforcement as a tool to suppress that speech,” he said in the filing.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, a Barack Obama appointee in the Southern District of New York, already ruled that Khalil “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court orders otherwise.” But on Wednesday, Furman grappled with whether he has the jurisdiction to handle this case moving forward.

Federal prosecutors want the case moved to New Jersey, where Khalil was housed when he initially filed his habeas corpus complaint. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Waterman told Furman that “there could be an argument” to hear the case in the Western District of Louisiana, too, since it’s where Khalil is currently being held.

Kassem suggested that courts can look to the location of the field office behind the arrest to determine jurisdiction in these cases, but the judge disagreed.

“I have rejected that argument in the past,” Furman said.

The judge also noted that he would consider Khalil’s bail and was “surprised” that the defense attorneys hadn’t already made an application for it. Khalil’s legal team is expected to file an amended habeas corpus petition on Thursday to address that.

Furman acknowledged the “need for speed” in this case, which has garnered widespread national attention in the past several days. He told Khalil’s lawyers that he will get them two privileged, legal phone calls with Khalil in Louisiana — one on Wednesday and one on Thursday — to address their communication issues.

The case raises significant First Amendment concerns, particularly with Trump foreshadowing future arrests and Secretary of State Marco Rubio promising to revoke “the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

Outside of the courthouse, hundreds of protestors brought those concerns to light as they chanted for Khalil’s release and in support of Palestinian rights.

Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant and was with him when federal agents arrested him, delivered a statement to the sea of demonstrators:

“My husband was kidnapped from our home, and it’s shameful that the United States government continues to hold him because he stood for the rights and lives of his people,” Khalil’s wife, who wishes to remain anonymous, said in a statement read by a fellow organizer. “I demand his immediate release and return to our family. His disappearance has devastated our lives. Every day without him is filled with uncertainty, not just for me but for our entire family and community.”

Khalil was a master’s student at Columbia University until December 2024, when he finished his public administration degree. He was slated to graduate in May 2025.

Last spring, Khalil was a lead negotiator on behalf of student protestors, who tried to get Columbia University to divest funds from Israel amid the country’s ongoing bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip by pitching a tent encampment on the university’s lawn.

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