The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. September 18, 2025 Immigration Judge in Louisiana Orders the Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil ----------------------------------------------------------------------- An immigration judge in Louisiana on Wednesday ordered the deportation of Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria, ruling that he failed to disclose certain information on his green card application. Khalil's lawyers say they plan to challenge the order. Khalil remains free after a federal district court ordered the government not to deport him as his federal court case proceeds. Khalil played a prominent role in the Palestine solidarity protests at Columbia University last spring and was detained in an ICE jail in Louisiana this year for 104 days before being released in June. In a statement, Khalil wrote, "It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again." Click here to see our interviews with Mahmoud Khalil. .