Judge Blocks Deportation of Palestinian Activist at Columbia (1)

A US judge temporarily blocked the deportation of a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University who was arrested over the weekend after he led anti-Israel protests at the Ivy League campus.

Mahmoud Khalil is challenging his arrest in federal court, arguing it was an unlawful government retaliation for his “constitutionally protected peaceful advocacy,” according to filings by his attorneys in New York federal court.

US District Judge Jesse Furman on Monday said Khalil “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court orders otherwise.” He set a hearing Wednesday on Khalil’s request for his return from ...