Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was released Friday after 104 days in federal immigration detention, becoming one of the most high-profile figures caught up in President Donald Trump's clampdown on campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza. Khalil walked out of a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who said the government had failed to prove he was a flight risk or a danger to the community. "Petitioner is not a flight risk, and the evidence presented is that he is not a danger to the community," Farbiarz said. "Period, full stop." The 26-year-old activist was arrested on March 8 at his Manhattan apartment and held as part of a broader Trump administration effort to deport noncitizen demonstrators who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil, a legal U.S. resident married to a U.S. citizen, was not accused of violence or criminal behavior during the Columbia protests. Khalil served as a student spokesperson and negotiator and was not among those arrested during the demonstrations, but his visibility in media coverage made him a political target. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he told reporters after his release. "This shouldn't have taken three months." Despite Farbiarz's ruling, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday that an immigration judge at the same Louisiana facility had simultaneously denied Khalil bond and ordered him removed. DHS is appealing the federal judge's decision to release him. Trump administration officials have cited Khalil's activism as grounds for deportation, claiming his presence threatens U.S. foreign policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly backed the removal. But Judge Farbiarz ruled that foreign policy concerns alone were insufficient legal grounds to justify Khalil's continued detention. Khalil also faces a separate deportation proceeding based on allegations he lied on his green card application — an accusation he strongly denies. Following his release, Khalil is expected to travel to New York to reunite with his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, and their infant son, who was born during his detention. Khalil must surrender his passport and cannot travel internationally but will receive documents allowing travel within the U.S. for legal and family purposes. "We know this ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family," Abdalla said in a statement. "But today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family." Khalil's release follows similar cases involving other scholars and students targeted for activism, including Columbia's Mohsen Mahdawi, Tufts University's Rumeysa Ozturk, and Georgetown's Badar Khan Suri. Speaking outside the detention center, Khalil condemned the Trump administration's efforts to link protest with criminality. "No one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza," he said. "Justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray." — Agencies
