By Gloria Pazmino, CNN
(CNN) — A Louisiana immigration judge on Tuesday said she will decide by the end of this week whether to continue to hold Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil in custody or release him.
Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, was taken into custody by federal agents last month outside of his Columbia University apartment and ultimately transferred to a detention center in Jena, Louisiana.
Judge Jamee Comans gave the federal government a deadline of Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET to turn over evidence against Khalil, according to attorneys for Khalil who provided details of the hearing to CNN.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it ordered Khalil’s deportation after alleging that his presence and activities could have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” Khalil’s attorneys have challenged those accusations in federal court where they are arguing the legality of his arrest, saying he is being targeted over his pro-Palestine activism.
If the evidence does not support the government’s order to remove him from the United States, the judge said she would move to terminate the case by Friday.
The decision was not entirely welcome news for Khalil’s legal team.
Marc Van Der Hout, Khalil’s immigration attorney said in a statement the government has yet to produce a “single shred of evidence” to support charges against Khalil, adding that dismissing the case without proper due process would rob Khalil of a chance to defend himself in court and challenge the government’s accusations.
“The Immigration judge today stated she intends to rule Friday on the merits of this outlandish charge with no realistic opportunity for Mahmoud and his lawyers to contest this baseless charge,” Van Der Hout said. “If this turns out to be what happens Friday, it would be an uncalled for rush to judgement that would completely deprive Mahmoud of any due process, which is a foundation of our legal system.”
Khalil’s immigration proceedings are separate from the case playing out in federal court. His immigration attorneys have not yet had a chance to contest his deportation order.
Khalil appeared in person during the hearing, according to the Associated Press. He was dressed in a navy blue T-shirt over a beige sweatshirt and only spoke briefly to ask the judge to allow his wife to be allowed into the remote hearing, which the judge permitted after initially revoking remote access to the media and the public after more than 600 people attempted to access the hearing remotely on Tuesday.
The court was overwhelmed by the requests for access, which the judge described as “highly unusual” leading her to revoke access to the public and only grant access to attorneys during the hearing.
The-CNN-Wire
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