JENA, La. (AP) 鈥� An immigration judge in Louisiana said she would terminate the case against if the government does not provide evidence this week justifying their attempted deportation of the Columbia University student activist.
At a hearing Tuesday in Louisiana, Judge Jamee Comans gave the government 24 hours to provide evidence showing that Khalil, a 30-year-old legal permanent resident, should be expelled from the country for his role in campus protests against Israel and the war in Gaza. If the evidence does not support his removal, she said, 鈥渢hen I am going to terminate the case on Friday.鈥�
Khalil has been held in a remote detention facility in Jena, Louisiana since his by federal immigration authorities, the first in a of attempted deportations against foreign-born students who joined pro-Palestinian protests or expressed criticism of Israel.
While the Trump administration has suggested that Khalil鈥檚 role as a spokesperson for protesters proved that he was 鈥渁ligned with Hamas,鈥� they have yet to produce evidence for the claim.
At Tuesday鈥檚 hearing, an attorney for Khalil, Marc Van Der Hout, said he had 鈥渘ot received a single document鈥� in response to his request for 鈥渆vidence and assertions鈥� in the case. 鈥淲e cannot plead until we know what the specific allegations are,鈥� Van Der Hout said.
鈥淚鈥檓 like you Mr. Van Der Hout, I鈥檇 like to see the evidence,鈥� the judge replied.
Khalil, who wore a navy blue T-shirt over a beige sweatshirt, spoke only briefly to request that his wife be permitted remote access to the hearing. The judge obliged, noting that more than 600 people were awaiting access to the proceeding in a virtual lobby. 鈥淭his is highly unusual,鈥� Comans said.
Khalil鈥檚 detention has sparked fury among free speech advocates, who accuse the Trump administration of seeking to squelch criticism of Israel by labeling peaceful activists as terror-supporters. Khalil, an international affairs graduate student, served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student protesters at Columbia, but was not among those arrested and has not been accused of any crime.
In seeking to deport Khalil and other student activists, the Trump administration has relied on a rarely-used statute that authorizes the Secretary of State to expel noncitizens who pose 鈥減otentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.鈥�
They have alleged, without offering evidence, that Khalil鈥檚 prominent role in anti-Israel protests amounted to support for Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza and attacked Israel in October 2023.
Khalil and others involved in the protests have repeatedly denied claims of antisemitism.
In a letter dictated from jail last month, Khalil said his detention was a 鈥渄irect consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza.鈥�
As Khalil鈥檚 immigration case plays out in Louisiana, his attorneys have also challenged his detention and potential deportation before a federal judge in New Jersey. That judge last week the Trump administration鈥檚 effort to transfer jurisdiction of the legal battle to Louisiana, but has yet to rule on the petition for his release.
Sara Cline And Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press
