Judge blocks deportation order for Palestinian activist and Columbia grad student

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration's efforts to deport a Columbia grad student who allegedly helped organize the anti-Israel protests at the university last year. 

Federal immigration authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil on Saturday, claiming they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card. Khalil is in the U.S. on a student visa and is married to a U.S. citizen.

Khalil, who helped organize the demonstrations demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. He is currently being held at a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, per CNN.

"To preserve the Court's jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise," Judge Jesse Furman wrote in a notice reported by ABC News.

The arrest comes after another surge in anti-Israel protests sprouted at the Columbia adjacent Barnard College this past month. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.