By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-10-19 20:50:37 | Updated at 2026-10-19 22:59:31
7 hours ago
Anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that would allow the Trump administration to arrest him again.
In an X post on Monday, Khalil shared the petition his legal team filed, saying that he has “asked the Supreme Court to affirm that federal courts have the power to hear my case.”
“The government knows all too well that its baseless allegations and smears against me cannot survive the slightest scrutiny in federal court,” Khalil said. “That’s why it is doing everything it can to keep those courts from looking at my case and to channel it into its kangaroo immigration courts.”
“So the question is simple: can the government weaponize immigration laws to punish someone’s speech, then tell federal courts they have no power to step in? If the answer is yes, none of our speech is safe. If the Trump administration can punish someone for pro-Palestine speech, this or any future administration can punish anyone for any speech,” he said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Khalil, who is a Syrian-born green card holder of Palestinian descent, in March 2025 after helping lead anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. The Department of Homeland Security accused Khalil of taking part in activities that were “aligned to Hamas.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously said Khalil’s “presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest” and vowed to strip the immigration status of foreign “Hamas supporters.”
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio said.
In June 2025, a federal judge in New Jersey ordered Khalil’s release from ICE detention.
In April, the Board of Immigration Appeals upheld an immigration judge’s order that Khalil be deported.
In May, a federal appeals court denied Khalil’s request for a rehearing to contest his detention.
At the time, Khalil decried the ruling, calling it “biased and politically motivated.” Khalil’s lawyers also said he is still pursuing a separate case in federal court and cannot yet be detained or deported.
The Supreme Court will consider whether to hear the case during a closed-door meeting in the coming months, according to The Hill. Khalil’s lawyers expressed hope that the high court will hear the case this term.
