The Trump administration saw another court defeat Tuesday night, this time in its quest to deport a Palestinian activist and lawful U.S. resident who recently graduated from Columbia University and has been accused of posing foreign policy risks due to his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Trump officials have invoked a rarely used statute under the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows them to deport immigrants if they believe that person threatens foreign policy.
Mahmoud Khalil's arrest gained national notoriety, as critics say the administration's effort is unconstitutional.
ALSO READ: 'Came as a surprise to me': Senators 'troubled' by one aspect of government funding bill
On Tuesday, a federal judge in New Jersey rejected the administration's attempt to move the case to Louisiana, Politico reported.
U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz issued a 67-page decision in Khalil’s case, writing that it "can go forward in New Jersey because that is where the Petitioner was confined at that moment.”
Lawyers for Trump's administration previously said in court that Khalil’s case should move to Louisiana because that's where he's being detained. Any appeal in the case would've then been sent to the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Politico noted.
