Trump Administration Lodges New Accusations Against Mahmoud Khalil
When Mahmoud Khalil, who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests while a Columbia University student, was detained this month, the Trump administration argued he should be deported to help prevent the spread of antisemitism, invoking a rarely used law.Lawyers for Mr.Khalil, a legal permanent resident who is being detained in Louisiana, quickly responded that the administration was retaliating against their client for his constitutionally protected speech criticizing Israel and promoting Palestinian rights.Last week, the government quietly added new accusations to its case against Mr.
Khalil, saying that he had willfully failed to disclose his membership in several organizations, including a United Nations agency that helps Palestinian refugees, when he applied to become a permanent U.S.resident last March.
It said he also failed to disclose work he did for the British government after 2022.The Trump administration appears to be using the new allegations in part to sidestep the First Amendment issues raised by Mr.Khalil’s case.
On Sunday, in a filing opposing his release, Justice Department lawyers argued that the new allegations reduced the importance of concerns about Mr.Khalil’s right to free speech.“Khalil’s First Amendment allegations are a red herring,” they wrote.
Given the new allegations, they added, there was an “independent basis” for his deportation.Lawyers for Mr.Khalil, who are fighting for his release in a New Jersey federal court, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
They are expected to argue that the new accusations are pretext for continued retaliation against their client’s speech and his continued detention far from his home and family.Mr.
Khalil’s wife, an American citizen who lives in New York City, is expected to give birth next month.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader...