Anti-Israel agitator Mahmoud Khalil one step closer to deportation with immigration board ruling

By Fox News · Fox News

An immigration appeals board has issued a final order of removal for anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil, advancing the Trump administration’s effort to deport the Columbia University graduate, according to his legal team. The Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled Thursday to deny Khalil’s bid to dismiss the case, marking a significant development in the administration’s push to deport him from the U.S. Khalil, a 31-year-old lawful permanent resident, has been at the center of a broader federal crackdown on noncitizens involved in anti-Israel campus protests tied to the war in Gaza. He was the first person whose arrest became publicly known as part of the crackdown. His legal team blasted the decision as "baseless and politically motivated," arguing the government is retaliating against his speech and lacks evidence to support the case. MAHMOUD KHALIL AVOIDS EXPLICIT HAMAS CONDEMNATION, CRITICIZES 'SELECTIVE OUTRAGE’ AMID PALESTINIAN SUFFERING "In all my decades as an immigration lawyer , I have never seen such a baseless and politically motivated decision," Khalil’s lead attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, said in a statement issued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "The BIA's decision has absolutely no support in the record, violates a federal court order, and we’ll be fighting it until the end." The Trump administration has argued Khalil’s protest activity was "aligned with Hamas," a claim cited by the Department of Homeland Security and other officials, though authorities have not publicly detailed specific evidence linking him to the terrorist group. Khalil has also denied allegations of antisemitism. Officials have also cited a rare foreign policy provision of U.S. immigration law, sometimes referred to as a "Rubio determination," as well as alleged issues tied to his green card application. Despite the ruling, Khalil’s attorneys say he cannot be deported while his separate federal habeas case continues to play out in court. A fe…