A US judge fundamentally allowed President Donald Trump's government to deport a pro-Palestinian activist. The judge's deportation of Mahmoud Khalil is compatible with US immigration law, as Khalil's lawyer explained on Friday. “It is not over, our fight goes on,” emphasized the lawyer.
According to his lawyer, Khalil accused the court in Louisiana a lack of “the rule of law and fundamental justice”. “According to what we have experienced today, none of these two principles apply,” said Khalil. His lawyer wants to contest the judgment.
The Khalil from Algeria was one of the most famous faces of the protests against the war in the Gaza Strip at the Columbia University in New York. It was arrested by employees of the immigration and border protection authority at the beginning of March, although he has a permanent US stay permit, a so-called “Green Card”. Khalil is married to a US citizen.
Trump announces further arrests
Trump accuses him and other activists “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic and anti-American activities”. He announced further arrests and also deportations of “terrorist sympathizers”.
Critics of the arrest and possible deportation of Khalil fear a restriction of freedom of expression in the United States. The procedure of the US government against universities, scientists and students is “unprecedented in recent history,” said the legal professor of the Columbia University, David Pozen, in a demonstration on Friday. “American democracy is in crisis”.
Because of the alleged “failure” of the Columbia University in the protection of Jewish students from anti-Semitic attacks, the US government wants to shorten the state funds. The “Wall Street Journal” even reported on Friday that the government wanted to assume the university of a kind of federal supervision. Critics argue that the Trump government wants to bring “left” universities on line.
