(New York) An American appeals court overturned the court decision leading to the release of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose deportation proceedings are still ongoing, according to a ruling made public Thursday.
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Subject to appeal, this decision has no immediate effect, which means that Mr. Khalil will not be arrested for the moment.
Born in Syria to Palestinian parents and holder of a permanent resident green card in the United States, he was one of the leaders of the pro-Palestinian protest movement at Columbia University in New York.
Accused by the Trump administration of being a “supporter of Hamas”, he was arrested in March then incarcerated in Louisiana, then released in June, a federal magistrate in New Jersey having ruled his detention illegal.
The decision handed down Thursday by a Philadelphia appeals court ruled that this judge did not have jurisdiction and that an immigration court should have decided.
The New York section of the civil rights organization ACLU said in a statement that “Mr. Khalil’s legal team has several legal avenues” of recourse.
“Today’s decision is deeply disappointing, but it does not break our resolve,” responded the person, who is married to an American citizen and father of a son born in the United States.
“The door may have been opened to further detention in the future, but this does not undermine our commitment to Palestine (and) justice,” he added in a statement.
In September, an immigration judge in Louisiana ordered Mr. Khalil’s deportation to Algeria or Syria because of an irregularity in his residency permit application. His lawyers had announced their intention to appeal this decision.
