JENA, La. (Diya TV) — A federal immigration judge in Louisiana ruled Friday that Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident, can be deported under a rarely used provision of immigration law that allows the U.S. government to expel noncitizens whose presence is deemed harmful to American foreign policy.

The ruling, handed down by Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans in Jena, represents an early legal win for the Trump administration as it intensifies efforts to crack down on pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.

Khalil, 30, was arrested by federal agents on March 8 outside his Columbia-owned apartment in New York City. He has been detained in Louisiana ever since, separated from his pregnant wife, a U.S. citizen, while his immigration and civil cases proceed.

The Department of Homeland Security submitted a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserting that Khalil’s presence in the U.S. undermines American efforts to combat antisemitism based on his participation in campus protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The memo contains no allegations of criminal activity but cites Khalil’s “beliefs, statements or associations” as grounds for removal under a statute rarely invoked since it was enacted in 1990.

Judge Comans said the government had met its burden “by clear and convincing evidence,” agreeing with Rubio’s claim that Khalil’s activism posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences.”

Khalil’s attorneys plan to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals and seek bail in a separate federal case in New Jersey, where a judge has temporarily blocked his deportation. “Despite the government’s failure to prove that Mahmoud broke any law, the court has decided that lawful permanent residents can have their status revoked for pro-Palestine advocacy,” his legal team said in a press conference after Friday’s hearing.

Khalil, a graduate student in international affairs, emerged as a leading spokesperson during last spring’s student encampment at Columbia University protesting Israel’s war in Gaza. Although he was not arrested during the protests and is not accused of any criminal behavior, Rubio’s memo links his activism to antisemitism and claims it contributes to a hostile environment for Jewish students.

“Today, we saw our worst fears play out: Mahmoud was subject to a charade of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing, and a weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent,” said Marc Van Der Hout, Khalil’s attorney.

Khalil himself criticized the hearing’s fairness. “There’s nothing more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness,” he said in court Friday. “Clearly, what we witnessed today—neither of these principles were present.”

Khalil’s wife, Noor Abdalla, also spoke out. “My husband is a political prisoner who is being deprived of his rights because he believes Palestinians deserve equal dignity and freedom,” she said during a briefing. She is due to give birth later this month and fears Khalil will miss the birth of their first child.

The legal precedent cited by the government has rarely been used—just 15 times in over 11 million deportation cases, and never before against a legal permanent resident for political speech, according to an amicus brief filed by 150 legal scholars from NYU and other institutions.

Legal experts warn the ruling could have far-reaching implications for free speech. “It is chilling to all speech rights when the federal government’s memo sets out no criminal charges but says one person can affect U.S. foreign policy through student protests,” said Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a constitutional law professor at John Jay College.

Khalil’s case is one of the first in a broader effort by the Trump administration to revoke the immigration status of students and faculty engaged in pro-Palestinian activism. More than 400 individuals have reportedly had their visas revoked this year, and some schools, including Columbia, are facing funding cuts for allegedly failing to combat antisemitism.