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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Detained Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil was released from an ICE detention center in Louisiana on bail just before 8 p.m. ET Friday after a ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz.
Khalil's release was reported first by NBC News' Chloe Atkins and Jake Lambright of Louisiana's KALB TV.
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The decision comes after Khalil and his legal team appealed the judge's June 13 decision that he could remain in ICE detention based on the Trump administration's arguments that he had committed fraud on his green card application.
Faribiarz stated during the virtual hearing that Khalil was not a flight risk because he is married to a United States citizen, has a baby at home, has no criminal record or known acts of violence or property destruction, and is a public figure.
Khalil worked as a mediator between pro-Palestinian protesters and Columbia University leadership following the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023. The Trump administration said his actions went against U.S. foreign policy, using this as grounds to detail him and seek his deportation.
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What To Know
Friday's turnaround from the New Jersey judge comes after he initially said on June 11 that Khalil could not be detained or deported based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination. If Khalil paid a bond and the government did not object by June 13, he could be released.
Two days later, following statements from the Trump administration that it would not release Khalil based on allegations that he had made false statements on his permanent residency application, Farbiarz issued another ruling.
He said Khalil had not provided a counterargument to this second point, and that his initial injunction only applied to Rubio's determination, leaving Khalil in the detention center in Jena.
On Friday, Farbiarz ruled that Khalil was not a flight risk. The judge said that it was highly unusual that the government had continued to detain Khalil, given the record presented, which the government has not contested. He denied the government's request for a stay on the decision.
Khalil has been in detention since March 8, when he was arrested by federal agents in the lobby of his New York City apartment building, with his pregnant wife standing nearby.
His case marked the beginning of a nationwide sweep by ICE targeting pro-Palestinian students with visas and green cards, using the same foreign policy argument outlined by the Secretary of State, that their actions were in support of Hamas and antisemitic.
Khalil missed the birth of his first child while in detention, with the White House stating he could self-deport if he wanted to hold him.
What People Are Saying
DHS told Newsweek via email in a statement: "This is yet another example of how out of control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security. Their conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 election, it also does great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts."
Dr. Noor Abdalla, Mahmoud Khalil's wife, in a statement: "After more than three months we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and known that Mahmoud is on his way home to me and Deen, who never should have been separated from his father."
Alina Das, one of Khalil's attorneys and co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law, in a statement: "No one should fear being jailed for speaking out in this country. We are overjoyed that Mr. Khalil will finally be reunited with his family while we continue to fight his case in court."
Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney with ACLU, in a statement: "Since he was arrested in early March, the government has acted at every turn to punish Mahmoud for expressing his political beliefs about Palestine. But today's ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: The government cannot abuse immigration law to punish speech it disfavors."
Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, in a video on X (formerly Twitter): "Mahmoud Khalil, like thousands of other New Yorkers, was standing up for Palestinian human rights, and for that he was threatened."
What Happens Next
Khalil is expected to head to New York to reunite with his U.S. citizen wife and newborn son. He is required to surrender his passport and is barred from international travel, but Khalil will regain his green card and receive official documents allowing limited domestic travel. This includes permission to visit family in New York and Michigan, attend court hearings in New Jersey and Louisiana, and travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress.
Update 6/20/25, 3:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 6/20/25, 4:02 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 6/20/25, 4:54 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional remarks.
Update 6/20/25, 8:03 p.m. ET: This headline and article were updated with Khalil's release from the ICE detention facility.
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