A federal judge in New Jersey has ruled to keep the case of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil within the state, rejecting a government request to move it to Louisiana, where Khalil is currently being held in immigration detention.
In a 67-page decision, Judge Michael Fabiarz emphasized that jurisdiction was established the moment Khalil’s petition for release was filed while he was in New Jersey on March 9, and that relocating him afterward does not nullify that jurisdiction.
“The Court’s jurisdiction is not defeated by the Petitioner having been moved to Louisiana,” Fabiarz wrote.
Khalil, who was arrested on March 8 in New York, was transferred through multiple facilities before being sent to Louisiana. His lawyers argued that the government’s attempt to move his case was a form of “forum shopping” and a strategy to delay addressing the legality of his detention. The judge’s ruling prevents what Khalil’s team called a “Kafka-esque” manipulation of the justice system.
Khalil is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge on April 8 for a removal proceeding. His attorneys maintain that his detention is politically motivated retaliation for his pro-Palestinian activism, and that no criminal charges have been filed.
His wife, Noor Abdalla—who is expecting their first child—praised the ruling as an “important step” toward his release.
