A federal appeals court on Thursday reversed a lower court ruling that freed Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention, clearing the way for the government to again detain and potentially deport him, after a 2–1 panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the New Jersey federal district court lacked jurisdiction to hear his habeas petition, stating that immigration law requires deportation challenges to be filed directly with an appeals court following a final removal order, and adding that the law bars Khalil “from attacking his detention and removal in a habeas petition,” a decision Khalil’s attorney, Baher Azmy, criticized as unlawful persecution while the Trump administration hailed the ruling as a major victory in its effort to deport noncitizens involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
