Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Faces Deportation to Algeria

By Staff, Agencies

Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian student activist and former leader of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), is likely to be deported to Algeria, a US official confirmed on Thursday. Khalil, a permanent US resident born in Syria to a Palestinian family, holds Algerian citizenship but is not a US citizen.

The development follows a recent appeals court ruling in favor of the Trump administration, which has intensified its crackdown on campus activism related to Palestine.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNation that deportation proceedings are moving forward.
If you are pushing propaganda that relishes the killings of Americans or promotes terrorists, the door’s that way.”

Khalil’s case has drawn sharp political backlash in New York. Newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended him during a press conference on Thursday, saying the move represents a broader assault on free expression.

“Mahmoud Khalil is a New Yorker. He should remain in New York City,” Mamdani said. “We see this attack on him as part of a larger attack on freedom of speech, especially when it’s used to stand up for Palestinian human rights.”

Mamdani’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, is also serving as Khalil’s attorney as the legal battle over his deportation continues.