New York (AP) – Facing deadlines from immigration judges Gives evidence of exiled deportation On behalf of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the federal government submitted a short memo signed by the Secretary of State.
Two-page notesacquired by the Associated Press, does not claim criminal conduct by Halil, a legal permanent resident and graduate student who served. A spokesman for campus activists Last year amid a massive demonstration of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the war in Gaza.
Rather, Rubio writes that Halil could be expelled because of his beliefs.
He said that while Halil’s activities would be “otherwise legal,” his stay in the country undermines “an effort to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States, in addition to undermining US policies to combat anti-Semitism in the United States.”
“Tolerating anti-Semitism and destructive protests in the United States would seriously undermine the objectives of its important foreign policy,” Rubio wrote in an indefinite memo.
The submission was filed Wednesday after Judge Jamie Commans He ordered the government to produce evidence of that. A hearing will be prior to Friday’s hearing on whether he can continue to be detained during immigration proceedings.
Khalil’s lawyer said the memo proved that the Trump administration “targets Mahmoud’s free speech rights regarding Palestine.”
“After hiding the ball since Mahmoud’s unfair late-night arrest in New York, after taking him to a remote detention center in Louisiana, the Immigration Bureau has admitted that there has been no lawsuit against him.”
“There is no evidence that the presence of Mahmoud in America poses a threat,” they added.
Homeland Security spokesman Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement written in an email saying, “The DHS provided evidence, but the immigration court docket is not open to the public,” and did not answer questions about whether there is additional evidence against Halil.
30 year old Halil Arrest On March 8th, he was taken to a Louisiana detention center in New York. He is a Palestinian, a nation born in Syria. Halil recently completed his master’s degree class at the International Studies School in Colombia. He is married to an American citizen who is due to give birth this month.
Halil has defied the anti-Semitism allegations and denounced the Trump administration in a letter sent from prison last month saying “target me as part of a broader strategy to curb opposition.”
“I fully know that this moment is beyond my individual circumstances,” he added.
According to Khalil’s lawyers, Rubio’s memo refers to additional documents, including “Mahmoud Khalil’s subject profile” and letters from the department’s homeland security, but the government did not submit these documents to the immigration court.
The memo also calls for the deportation of a second legal permanent resident.
The Trump administration has it Deducted billions of dollars In government funding from the university and its associated hospital system, critics say it’s a campaign against anti-Semitism in recent weeks, but critics say it’s a crackdown on free speech. To get the money back, the administration has told the university to punish protesters. Make other changes.
The US government has also revoked visas for international students criticised Israel Or accusing Palestinians of abusing them.
At the time of Khalil’s arrest, Tricia Mclaughlin, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, denounced the major activities for “along Hamas” referring to the militant group that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
However, the government has not produced any evidence linking Halil with Hamas, and has not mentioned the group in its latest submission.
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