The Trump administration says it will continue hold Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil in custody on new grounds after a judge initially ruled he should be released.
A judge ruled on Wednesday that Khalil did not present a threat to American foreign policy, and directed the government to release him. It gave the administration a Friday deadline to appeal the decision.
On Friday, the government filed new documents saying it would continue to hold Khalil because he had lied on his application for a green card, which gives the holder lawful permanent residency.
The government said in the filing that the judge did not say that course of action would be "unlawful."
While the judge's ruling acknowledged that lawful permanent residents are almost never held by the government for that reason, the judge agreed that because the earlier ruling did not specifically address those circumstances, the government could continue to detain Khalil.
WEDNESDAY'S RULING | Judge says government must release Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil
Attorneys for Khalil argue that he should go free because the government technically did not act before the Friday deadline.
“The deadline has come and gone and Mahmoud Khalil must be released immediately,” they said in a statement. “Anything further is an attempt to prolong his unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel detention.”
Khalil was arrested March 8 as the administration began a broad crackdown on campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza.
The government has argued that noncitizens who protest in that manner should be deported for expressing viewpoints the administration believes are antisemitic and "pro-Hamas."
