Mahmoud Khalil's legal team says it will ask Supreme Court to block deportation

Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil's legal team said Friday it will petition the Supreme Court to block their client's deportation, after a federal appeals court declined to get involved.

The Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a split 6-5 decision earlier Friday that the court's full panel would not be taking up his appeal, allowing an earlier ruling to stand, which found a federal court judge lacked the authority to weigh in on the lawfulness of a migrant's detention, according to the New York Daily News.

Khalil’s team told the outlet they will seek an immediate stay preventing the Trump administration from removing him from the U.S. while they petition the nation’s highest court, though it was not clear when the request will be filed.

“Federal courts must have the power to step in when the government exploits our country’s immigration system to punish people for their constitutionally protected speech,” Khalil's attorney Brett Kaufman said.

“If the Trump administration can target, arrest, detain, and deport Mahmoud for his speech, they can do it to anyone expressing an opinion they disagree with," he added.

Khalil, who was born in Syria, helped to organize a student encampment at Columbia University, which saw a number of disturbances throughout the year as pro-Palestinian activists staged anti-Israel events to protest the war in Gaza.

The Trump administration's attempt to deport him has led to a number of legal battles and his case is one of several high-profile deportation matters that have attracted national attention over the past year. 

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