Board of Immigration Appeals Denies Mahmoud Khalil’s Appeal, Clearing Path to Deportation

Board of Immigration Appeals Rejects Khalil’s Request to Dismiss Removal Case

The federal Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued a decision Thursday that denies former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil’s bid to dismiss his deportation proceedings. Khalil, a Palestinian‑American activist who has been a vocal critic of U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine, has been under removal orders since a 2021 conviction for civil disorder during a protest.

The BIA’s ruling leaves the final order of removal in place and clears the way for immigration officials to re‑arrest Khalil and begin deportation. His legal team argued that the original removal order, issued under the Trump administration, failed to consider due‑process safeguards, but the panel found no merit in the claim.

Khalil’s case has drawn attention from civil‑rights groups, who say the decision signals a broader crackdown on political dissent. The next steps will likely involve a petition for review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

The outcome underscores the heightened scrutiny applied to non‑citizen activists in the current immigration landscape.