NEW YORK – The ongoing legal dispute concerning the potential deportation of Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil will continue to unfold in New Jersey. A federal judge has denied a request from the Trump administration to move the proceedings to Louisiana.
In a written decision delivered on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz made it clear that jurisdiction should remain in New Jersey, as Khalil was held there when his legal team filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release. The judge pointed out that the relocation of Khalil to Louisiana doesn’t alter where jurisdiction lies, describing the government’s attempt to move the case as “unpersuasive.”
This decision does not imply that Khalil will be released from the detention facility in Louisiana, where he is currently held amid the government’s efforts to deport him due to his participation in campus protests against Israel. However, it does provide his legal team with the opportunity to argue for his release in court in New Jersey.
Noor Abdalla, Khalil’s wife, who is an American citizen and eight months pregnant, deemed the judge’s ruling a crucial step towards achieving her husband’s release. She emphasized the importance of continued advocacy for his freedom, especially as the birth of their son approaches.
Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident, was taken into custody by federal immigration officers on March 8 in the lobby of his university-managed apartment. His arrest marked the initial action under President Donald Trump’s pledged crackdown on students involved in campus protests related to the conflict in Gaza. A day after the arrest, Khalil was transferred to an immigration detention center located in Jena, Louisiana, a move his attorneys claim was a strategic attempt to alter the federal jurisdiction of his case while limiting his access to his family.
Defense lawyer Baher Azmy criticized the government’s actions, stating it was akin to moving Khalil around in a farcical manner. During a court session in New Jersey, Azmy expressed concerns about the process being manipulated to the detriment of Khalil.
The administration’s push to have the case relocated to Louisiana centered on what they termed as a clerical error. According to Justice Department attorney August Flentje, Khalil had already been moved to New Jersey by the time his New York lawyers filed the habeas petition at 4:40 a.m. the day following his arrest. The transfer to Louisiana, Flentje argued, was essential for achieving “jurisdictional certainty.”
However, Judge Farbiarz rejected this line of argument in his decision, asserting that at the time the petition was filed, legal proceedings should have rightly commenced in New Jersey, where Khalil was detained initially. If the case had proceeded in Louisiana, it could have escalated to one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country, potentially leading to a precedent-setting ruling impacting Khalil’s case and broader government policies concerning the deportation of noncitizen student activists.