Mahmoud Khalil To Remain In ICE Detention Center After Hearing

NEW YORK CITY — Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for his role in the University's pro-Palestinian protests last spring, did not appear in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Wednesday as his lawyers seek to free him from ICE custody in Louisiana.

The hearing took place at 11:30 a.m. and came after Judge Jesse Furman temporarily halted Khalil's deportation on Monday after his lawyers filed a petition.

Notably during the hearing, Furman ruled that he would unseal the case docket, noting that the case is important to the public. Usually, detention cases are not normally made public.

Prosecutors confirmed during the hearing that Khalil is being held in Jena, La and will remain detained there. They also asked Furman to transfer the case to New Jersey or Louisiana.

"We are simply suggesting that the Southern District of New York is not the proper forum for this, and it should go either to New Jersey or Louisiana at this time, Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Waterman told Furman.

Prosecutors plan on filing a motion to have the case transferred out of New York.

Furman told Khalil's lawyers that they have until midnight Friday to dispute the motion.

After telling the judge that they haven't been able to speak with Khalil since he was transferred to Louisiana on Sunday, defense lawyers were given one allotted phone call on Wednesday and one Thursday.

Ramzi Kassem, Khalil's lawyer, told reporters his arrest was "completely unprecedented."

“He was taken by US government agents in retaliation, essentially, for exercising his First Amendment rights, for speaking up in defense of Palestinians in Gaza and beyond, for being critical of the US government and of the Israeli government. "Those are the reasons why he was targeted."

This is a developing story. This post may be updated.