Donald Trump and his administration have faced resistance from the outset of trying to deport agitators from school protests around the country.
In the latest blow to Trump’s quest, a federal judge has, yet again, blocked the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahmoud Khalil is a former Columbia University student who was among the leaders of the protests against backing Palestine and attacking Israel regarding its conflict with Hamas.
Khalil was exposed as a leader of the protests that started to engulf the campus in the spring of 2024.
When he was identified, this administration immediately targeted him for deportation, and a suit was filed to block that deportation.
On his arrest and attempted deportation, the ACLU stated, “Khalil’s unlawful arrest and deportation represent a frightening escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to silence speech of which they are critical. Under the First Amendment, the federal government does not have the authority to deport individuals or revoke their residency on the basis of viewpoint alone.”
In April, a federal judge ruled in Trump’s favor that he could deport Khalil.
Judge Jamee Comans ruled, “The court will sustain charge of removability.”
Khalil responded to the ruling, "I would like to quote what you said last time that there's nothing that's more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness.
"Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present today or in this whole process. This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, 1,000 miles away from my family. I just hope that the urgency that you deemed fit for me are afforded to the hundreds of others who have been here without hearing for months.”
Trump had to know at some point that the process he was going to run into a judge who would be sympathetic to Khalil’s case, and it just happened.
U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who was appointed by Joe Biden and looks like a Gavin Newsom wannabe, blocked the deportation, stating, "The government cannot claim an interest in enforcing what appears to be an unconstitutional law.”
The government now has until Friday morning to appeal the decision, but that did not stop Secretary of State Marco Rubio from disagreeing, stating, "Condoning antisemitic conduct and disruptive protests in the United States would severely undermine that significant foreign policy objective.”
I am sure the administration will appeal the decision, which means we are going to have a massive free speech showdown before the Supreme Court. We have free speech, but there are also repercussions for what you say. Just how deep those repercussions can go is about to be determined.
