Mahmoud Khalil, Anti-Israel Activist, Ordered Deported by Judge

A federal immigration judge has ordered the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Hamas activist and spokesperson for the Columbia Gaza Solidarity Encampments, after ruling that he willfully concealed politically sensitive affiliations in his US residency application.

Judge Jamee Comans issued the ruling Wednesday, citing evidence that Khalil deliberately failed to disclose key details in his 2024 green card filing, including his employment with UNRWA during the period of Hamas’s October 7 massacre and his role in anti-Israel campus organizations.

Khalil, 30, became a recognizable figure at Columbia University protests, often appearing unmasked on the front lines of demonstrations that disrupted campus life and intimidated Jewish students. He was detained by ICE officials for more than three months in Louisiana before being released in June but continued attending anti-Israel protests nationwide.

The court found that Khalil failed to report his work as a political affairs officer at UNRWA from June to November 2023, a time when multiple investigations revealed UNRWA employees’ involvement in the October 7 terror attack. He also omitted his membership in Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the group behind aggressive campus protests, and did not disclose extended employment at the Syria Office of the British Embassy in Beirut.

“The defendant understood the consequences and that the candid disclosure of his affiliations might lead to an additional line of questioning and the ultimate denial of his application for conditional permanent residency,” Judge Comans wrote. “This Court cannot and will not condone such an action by granting a discretionary waiver.”

Khalil now faces deportation either to Algeria, where he holds citizenship, or to Syria, his birthplace. His attorneys have 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, though they admitted in filings that prospects for success are slim, noting the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals “almost never” grants stays of removal in similar cases.

In a defiant statement, Khalil denounced the ruling as political retaliation, calling the court a “kangaroo court” and accusing the Trump administration of trying to silence him. “Such fascist tactics will never deter me from continuing to advocate for my people’s liberation,” he said.

The case underscores the growing scrutiny of activists with ties to groups accused of supporting terrorism and highlights how affiliations with organizations like UNRWA already under international investigation can have direct legal consequences in the United States.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on Israel’s fight against antisemitism and anti-Israel extremism abroad.