Mahmoud Khalil deportation process allowed to continue, U.S. judge rules – National [Video]

Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be kicked out of the U.S. as a national security risk, an immigration judge in Louisiana found Friday during a hearing over the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The government’s contention that Khalil’s presence in the U.S. posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences” was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation, Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans said at the conclusion of a hearing in Jena.

Comans said the government had “established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable.”

Lawyers for Khalil said they plan to keep fighting. The judge gave them until April 23 to seek a waiver.

After the immigration court hearing, Khalil attorney Marc Van Der Hout told a federal judge in New Jersey that Khalil will appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals after the immigration judge issues the final written ruling. He said lawyers can also pursue an …