Former Columbia Student to Turn to Supreme Court

A man who became a symbol of campus protest crackdowns is taking his argument to the country's highest court. After a federal appeals court on Friday declined to revisit his case, the New York Times reports, attorneys for 31-year-old Mahmoud Khalil said they will ask the Supreme Court to step in to try to block his deportation. Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, was arrested by ICE in March 2024 and has since faced a fast-tracked removal process overseen by the executive branch, which his lawyers argue violates his First Amendment rights.

The White House has accused Khalil, a Palestinian legal permanent resident married to an American, of fueling antisemitism through his role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia; he denies spreading hate and says criticism of Israel is not inherently antisemitic. The Third Circuit's full court split 6-5 in declining review, with dissenting judges warning the decision threatens civil liberties for Khalil and other noncitizens. An immigration court previously ruled he could be deported in what his lawyers describe as an unusually swift and irregular proceeding. "We hope the Supreme Court will recognize how dangerous the Third Circuit's decision was," said his attorney Baher Azmy. The appeal could be filed in late summer, per the AP.