A federal judge has ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has the legal authority to cancel the visa held by Mahmoud Khalil, a foreign visitor who led pro-Hamas protests at a New York university.
But Khalil will be allowed his day in court to argue against his expulsion, the judge told the crowded courtroom on Friday afternoon.
Many Democrat-aligned, pro-migration activists are using free speech laws to defend Khalil.
But Khalil led protests at Columbia University against Israel’s counter-offensive against Hamas’s atrocious murder of roughly 1,000 Israeli civilians in October 2023.
To justify the expulsion, Rubio cited an existing law that allows him to cancel visas held by foreigners.
His deputies told the court that “The public actions and continued presence of … Khalil in the United States undermine U.S. policy to combat anti-semitism around the world.”
The detention and likely deportation follow President Trump’s policy of excluding visitors or migrants who “espouse hateful ideology.” The policy was set by Trump’s January 20 Executive Order, which says:
It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.
Some activists have tracked Khalil’s pro-Hamas campaigning.
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