The Board of Immigration Appeals has issued a final order of removal against Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born U.S. lawful permanent resident and prominent Columbia University protest organizer, according to his lawyers. Khalil and his attorneys say the case is politically motivated and plan to continue challenging it in federal court, where a separate proceeding has so far prevented his immediate deportation.
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued a final order of removal for Mahmoud Khalil on Thursday, according to his legal team, in a step that brings the Columbia University protest organizer closer to deportation.
Khalil has been a high-profile figure in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on noncitizens involved in pro-Palestinian activism. He was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 8, 2025, in the lobby of his university-owned apartment building in New York, The Associated Press reported at the time.
Federal officials have argued that Khalil’s presence in the United States could harm U.S. foreign policy interests, and the Department of Homeland Security said after his arrest that his activities were “aligned to Hamas,” according to reporting by The Daily Wire.
Khalil has denied wrongdoing and said he has not committed any crime. In a statement reported by The Daily Wire, he said: “I have committed no crime. I have broken no law. The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it.” He also described the BIA decision as “biased and politically motivated,” according to The Daily Wire.
Khalil’s lawyers say he is simultaneously pursuing a separate case in federal court, and that it currently prevents the government from detaining or deporting him immediately while that litigation continues.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the administration’s approach, saying Khalil’s “presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest,” according to The Daily Wire. Rubio also posted on X: “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” the outlet reported.
A federal judge in New Jersey ordered Khalil released from immigration detention in June 2025, according to The Daily Wire and other reporting.
Khalil’s lead attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, said the immigration board’s decision was unsupported by the evidence and improperly influenced by politics. “In all my decades as an immigration lawyer, I have never seen such a baseless and politically motivated decision,” Van Der Hout said, according to The Daily Wire. He also argued that federal courts have already recognized that Khalil was targeted because of his speech, framing the case as retaliation implicating First Amendment concerns.
Former ICE Deputy Field Office Director Scott Mechkowski supported deportation in a post on X, calling the case an example of a “broken” immigration system that attorneys exploit to delay removals, according to The Daily Wire.
