Newly submitted court documents have shed light on the federal government’s rationale for detaining Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant, citing fears he might attempt to flee during an encounter with agents, The Associated Press reported on Thursday. Filed this week in federal court in Newark, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims agents monitoring Khalil on March 8 determined an arrest was warranted after he allegedly stated he would not cooperate and planned to walk away. Khalil, who has been in custody for over a month at a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, was reportedly approached by an agent from Homeland Security Investigations while walking with his wife. As detailed in the court submission, Khalil’s wife went to retrieve documentation proving his legal residency, during which time Khalil allegedly indicated he would leave the area. At that point, according to the DHS attorney, a supervisory agent assessed that Khalil posed a flight risk and moved to detain him. The government also disclosed that Khalil had been flagged for potential removal from the US on the grounds that his continued presence could have serious repercussions for American foreign policy. In a public statement, Khalil’s attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, criticized federal authorities for allegedly misleading the immigration court by initially asserting the existence of an arrest warrant. "The government's admission is astounding, and it is completely outrageous that they tried to assert to the immigration judge — and the world — in their initial filing of the arrest report that there was an arrest warrant when there was none," Van Der Hout stated. "This is egregious conduct by DHS that should require, under the law, termination of these proceedings, and we hope that the immigration court will so rule." An immigration judge in Louisiana recently issued a ruling allowing the deportation of Khalil, who led anti-Israel protests on the Columbia University campus. The government accuses Khalil of failing to disclose on his residency application what it described as his "membership" in the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA. Khalil has rejected the allegations and framed his detention as retaliation for his political views.
CONTINUE READING
