Judge suspends deportation of a Palestinian activist arrested by the Trump government

Judge Jesse Furman of the New York Federal Court suspended on Monday (10) the deportation of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident in the United States. Khalil, a student at Columbia University and protests against genocide in Gaza, was arrested last Saturday (8) in New York by agents of the Internal Security Department (DHS) and transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, run by a private company.

The court decision prevents Donald Trump’s government from removing Khalil from the country before a judicial analysis of the case. On Sunday (9), his whereabouts became unknown for hours, without communication with lawyers or family.

In an extraordinary statement published on Monday (10), Trump boasted from his role in Khalil’s prison and threatened thousands of others with similar actions. Using false allegation – vauntedly promoted by the republican stablishment – that the opposition to genocide in Gaza would be “anti -Semitic”, Trump wrote in Truth Social:

“We know that there are more students in Columbia and other universities in the country who participated in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic and anti-American activities, and Trump administration will not tolerate it,” he said.

He then explicitly threatened mass arrests against anyone who opposed genocide in Gaza:

“This is the first arrest of many to come. We will find, seize and deport these supporters of terrorists of our country – for never to return, ”added Trump.

In the decision, Furman stated that Khalil “cannot be removed from the United States less and until the Court decides otherwise”, justifying that the removal of the activist before the conclusion of the trial would compromise the court’s jurisdiction.

The arrest occurred days after Trump signed an executive order hardened rules for foreigners involved in pro-palestinal university protests. The government claims that Khalil has “calls with Hamas” but has not presented formal accusations or documentary evidence. That is, the student was arrested for any crime or formally accused of something.

Khalil’s defense argues that his arrest represents a violent repression against student movements and immigrants in the US. According to his lawyers, the detention and accelerated removal were conducted “without respecting due process of law,” with the activist being taken to a private detention center without notification to his family. Khalil was secretly transported by plane to a private detention center in Louisiana, 2,100 km away from the state of New York.

Earlier this year, the president signed a decree expanding the Powers of DHS to revoke visas and deport foreigners considered “threats” to the government.

Khalil, who has Green Card, has the same rights as any permanent resident in the US, which includes the right to defense and judicial review of his case before any deportation. Judge Furman’s decision reinforces this principle, noting that the government cannot act arbitrary against legal residents.

Khalil’s arrest generated protests at universities and manifestations of international solidarity. In Columbia, students and teachers organized acts demanding their release. An online petition gathering signatures against its deportation already has more than 1.6 million signatures.

The audience that will define the future of Mahmoud Khalil is scheduled for Wednesday (12), when the court will evaluate the legality of his prison and his possible release.

Trump government actions against Khalil and other activists reflect an increasingly intense pattern of repression, in which the state is used to silence political dissent. The use of security agencies to pursue opponents, combined with the militarization of immigration forces, deepens a scenario of suppression of civil rights and dismantling of democratic safeguards.

By consolidating control over fundamental institutions and remodeling migratory policy for political purposes, Trump advances in a strategy that historically preceded autocratic governments. The repression of pro-Palestinian protests and the criminalization of government critical to the government is not isolated cases, but part of a larger process of democratic erosion in the United States.