Court Blocks Trump's Policy in Student Detention Case

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's use of U.S. foreign policy interests to justify the detention of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil is not permissible. The ruling is set to take effect on Friday.

Mahmoud Khalil was arrested on March 8 following the revocation of his green card. This occurred under a rarely invoked U.S. immigration law granting the secretary of state authority to deport individuals deemed threats to U.S. foreign policy interests. Khalil has been detained in Louisiana since his arrest.

This case marks the first known arrest of a foreign student involved in pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses following intense conflict between Hamas and Israel in October 2023.

(With inputs from agencies.)