Former Columbia graduate student and anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil will be deported to Syria or Algeria after a new ruling from an immigration judge in Louisiana found he purposefully committed fraud on a green card application, newly filed court documents revealed.
Immigration Judge Jamee Comans rejected three motions filed by Khalil’s lawyers on Sept. 12 — including one in which he sought approval for a waiver to remedy factual omissions on a green card application, which Comans ruled to be intentionally fraudulent.
Khalil neglected to disclose his involvement, association and participation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) on his Form I-485, Comans ruled.
“The evidence shows the Respondent knew of the potential immigration consequences for his involvement in protests organized by varying organizations on campus, including CUAD,” the judge wrote in a ruling shared by Khalil’s lawyers.
“The waiver was not designed to reward a lack of candor by applicants admitted as immigrant visa holders who then intentionally engage in dishonesty by misrepresenting facts in the application process to adjust status, post entry,” Comans stated plainly in the ruling.
Comans noted that several factors were considered when determining whether Khalil qualified for a waiver to remedy his factual inaccuracies on his residency application — including the fact that he is married and has a young child who was born in April while he was in federal custody. --->READ MORE HERE
 |
| Ted Shaffrey/AP |
Lawyers for the pro-Palestinian activist said they plan to appeal the immigration judge’s order, which was revealed in court documents filed Wednesday.
An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., deported to Syria or Algeria for failing to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to documents filed in federal court Wednesday by his lawyers.
Khalil’s lawyers suggested in a filing that they intend to appeal the deportation order, but expressed concern that the appeal process will likely be swift and unfavorable.
The order from the immigration judge, Jamee Comans, came despite a separate order in Khalil’s federal case in New Jersey blocking his deportation while that court considers Khalil’s legal argument that his detention and deportation are unlawful retaliation for his Palestinian advocacy.
Khalil’s March 8 arrest and subsequent detention in Louisiana was part of the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on foreign-born pro-Palestinian academics who were studying or working in the U.S. legally. Khalil, a former Columbia graduate student who helped organize campus protests, was arrested at his Manhattan residence and put into deportation proceedings. He has not been charged with a crime.
In a letter to the New Jersey federal judge, Michael Farbiarz, Khalil’s lawyers said they have 30 days from Sept. 12, the date of the immigration judge’s ruling, to appeal her decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The lawyers said they expect that process to be “swift” and that an appeal of the BIA decision, which would go to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, is unlikely to be successful, since, they wrote, the appeals court “almost never” grants stays of removal to noncitizens. --->READ MORE HERE
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment