Anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil was released on bail from an immigration detention center on Friday following an order by a judge.
Khalil, a graduate student from Columbia University, departed a federal facility in Louisiana before 7 p.m. on Friday, planning to travel to New York, where his wife and baby reside. Upon his arrival in New York, he is required to inform the Department of Homeland Security of his address within 48 hours.
In an order issued on Friday, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz stated it would be “highly, highly unusual” to detain a legal U.S. resident who is not considered a flight risk and is not facing charges for violent offenses.
“Petitioner is not a flight risk and the evidence presented is that he is not a danger to the community,” Farbiarz said. “Period, full stop.”
Mahmoud Khalil posing for a picture as he leaves the detention center in Louisiana. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided an additional reason for Khalil’s continued detention and the attempt to deport him. DHS claimed that Khalil allegedly failed to disclose important information on his green card application regarding affiliations with certain organizations, including the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group.
Mahmoud Khalil needs to surrender his passport but will be given back his green card. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Khalil’s case has become a lightning rod for anti-Israel protesters and immigration rights advocates. They have argued the Trump administration is retaliating against him for opposing the Israeli government and chilling free speech of those who oppose Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip and conflict with Iran.
Hundreds of anti-ICE protesters marching in April in San Francisco demanding Khalil’s release. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Khalil must surrender his passport but will be given his green card and will be allowed to travel to New York, Michigan, where he has family, New Jersey and Louisiana for court appearances, and Washington, D.C. for lobbying.
The Trump administration is appealing the preliminary injunction and Khalil’s release to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
