OAN Staff James Meyers
2:56 PM – Thursday, May 29, 2025

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s move to deport anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil was unconstitutional. 

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz handed down the ruling, but did not order the activists release. The judge deemed the deportation by the Trump administration as “unconstitutionally vague.”

The judge said he will consider Khalil’s request for a release as additional information is provided.  

“The district court held what we already knew: Secretary Rubio’s weaponization of immigration law to punish Mahmoud and others like him is likely unconstitutional,” lawyers for Khalil said after the ruling.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has supported Khalil’s arrest, claiming it was due to “anti-Semitic protests and disruptive activities” that included “unlawful activity” during the anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. 

In April, Khalil’s deportation was approved by a U.S. immigration judge, but Khalil has argued that his right to free speech was “eroded” by the Trump administration. 

However, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorneys argued at the time that Khalil’s free speech calls were misleading, noting that the anti-Israel activist lied on his visa applications. 

The DHS noted at the time that Khalil did not disclose his employment with the Syrian office in the British Embassy in Beirut when he applied for permanent U.S. residency. 

The 30-year-old has Algerian citizenship via his mother, but was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. 

Khalil is currently married to Noor Abdalla, who is a U.S. citizen. In 2023, they got married and she was eight months pregnant at the time of his arrest. 

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