United States: On Wednesday, a federal judge required the Trump administration to provide explanations about the legal basis behind its deportation effort against Mahmoud Khalil, who is a Palestinian activist whose stay in the United States poses alleged threats to U.S. foreign policy interests, as reported by Reuters. 

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, demanded that the administration provide a full list of all cases in which U.S. officials have applied the law against Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who is currently enrolled as a Columbia University graduate student. 

The court demanded detailed information about the risks U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified in his assessment of Mahmoud Khalil’s impact on U.S. interests while staying in the United States. The court granted the government until 9:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT) on Thursday for its response. 

Background of the Case 

The authorities arrested Khalil in March while he stood with his wife, who maintains U.S. citizenship, at their New York City apartment building. After securing permanent residency in the United States last year, Khalil has remained in detention without any formal charges since his arrest. 

A federal judge instructed the Trump administration on Wednesday to detail the legal precedent for its plan to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist whose presence in the country the government alleges could harm U.S. foreign policy interests. https://t.co/XwS7PeA2W6

— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) May 7, 2025

The administration plans to deport Khalil because immigration law includes a provision allowing deportation of “an alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe would have serious adverse foreign policy outcomes.” 

The Trump administration officials have justified deporting student visa and green card holders by linking their Palestinian advocacy and Israel criticism to a risk to U.S. foreign policy. 

A court in Vermont issued bail for Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi last month, which dealt a blow to administration officials. 

Legal and Political Controversy 

Khalil faced deportation per a decision from the Louisiana immigration judge, who relied solely on two-page statements by Rubio about foreign policy consequences in April. 

According to Rubio Khalil should be kicked out of school due to engaging in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities that antagonize Jewish students in the United States.” 

According to Khalil’s legal team, events affecting New York City do not qualify as matters within U.S. foreign policy. The court received interviews from CNN and other news outlets with Khalil, who explicitly condemned antisemitic behavior. 

🚨🇺🇸🇵🇸 JUDGE FREES COLUMBIA PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTER MAHDAWI ON BAIL

Establishment-critical narrative: Trump's focus on deporting anti-Israel protesters is striking. To the surprise of many, the people being targeted aren't illegal immigrants but student visa holders and, even… pic.twitter.com/sZ9Sv3k6cI

— Verity (@improvethenews) May 1, 2025

At this point, Farbiarz has put a stop to Khalil’s potential deportation so he can assess whether the arrest violated constitutional speech rights. 

Deportation Temporarily Blocked 

The legal community points out that law enforcement agencies have few examples of using this specific targeting approach with Khalil. This law received only one formal court examination through the case of Mario Ruiz Massieu, who was a former Mexican assistant attorney general who was detained in 1995. 

The detention of Massieu evolved into a court battle, which Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, President Donald Trump’s elder sister, officially presided over. Her initial decision to strike down the law because it was unconstitutional fell apart when appellate authorities shot it down using procedural grounds, as reported by Reuters. 

Khalil emerged from a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria as both an Algerian citizen and someone who received lawful permanent residency in the United States last year. 

United States: A federal court denied on Monday a request from the Trump administration to rescind the temporary protected status of thousands of Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who reside in the United States. 

A Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared that they would not suspend a judicial order used to block the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts in shortening the “parole” status granted to migrants during President Joe Biden’s administration, as reported by Reuters. 

The administration took a major step in Republican President Trump’s immigration hardening policies by expanding deportation efforts toward migrants who previously received legal living and working rights in the United States. 

Parole Termination Deemed Overreach 

The administration maintained Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held the power to terminate the migrants’ status on a wholesale basis while noting that the judge’s order made the U.S. government maintain “hundreds of thousands of aliens in the country against its will.” 

A federal appeals court rejected a request by the Trump administration to allow it to revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans living in the United States https://t.co/UBc4yEyAfD pic.twitter.com/2pORpGnsiH

— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) May 5, 2025

However, a panel of three judges, all of whom were Democratic presidents’ nominees, stated that Noem “has not at this point made a strong showing’ that her categorical termination of plaintiffs’ parole is likely to be sustained on appeal.” 

Rights Advocates Applaud Decision 

Lawyer Karen Tumlin of Justice Action Center praised the decision made by the court. According to Tumlin, “the administration’s behavior amounted to reckless and illegal conduct.” 

With this decision, the administration has the opportunity to seek intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Next Stop: The Supreme Court? 

“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law to our immigration system,” Homeland Security Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “No lawsuit, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that.” 

A lawsuit from immigrant rights advocates who defended migrant interests sought to stop the agency’s decision, which delayed different programs launched by Biden’s administration that let Ukrainians, Afghans, Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans,, as well as Venezuelans,, access the country. 

A U.S. appeals court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke legal status for about 400,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, marking a legal victory for those protected under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. pic.twitter.com/0J78tyTFor

— Al-Estiklal English (@alestiklalen) May 6, 2025

Biden-Era Programs Under Threat 

The Homeland Security Department published a Federal Register notice on March 25 that announced they would terminate the two-year parole status afforded to approximately 400,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. 

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani put a stop to the agency’s decision on April 25 through her ruling because the agency revoked parole privileges for migrants as a general policy without individual examination, as reported by Reuters. 

Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the department’s only justification for not letting the migrants’ status expire naturally was its mistaken belief that allowing parole to expire would prevent them from deporting migrants faster. 

United States: Under a new initiative announced by Homeland Security on Monday the Trump government plans to grant $1,000 to migrant populations together with travel assistance if they choose to depart the U.S. voluntarily, as reported by Reuters. 

New DHS Program Offers Financial Aid to Voluntary Migrants 

The agency indicated the voluntary departure program would be less expensive to the government than performing deportation proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security reports the expense for capturing and imprisoning and sending someone who lacks immigration status costs taxpayers $17,000 on average. 

During his first months in office, President Donald Trump implemented a Republican plan to remove millions of illegal immigrants, yet his numbers remain behind those accomplished during the administration of Joe Biden, who preceded him as President. During his first months in office Biden’s government operated under heavy pressure from border crossers as they brought back big numbers of arriving illegals. 

The Trump administration will offer a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance to migrants who elect to voluntarily "self deport" from the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday. pic.twitter.com/cQ9wCeqjw6

— NTD Television (@TelevisionNTD) May 5, 2025

Trump’s Immigration Approach Focuses on Self-Deportation 

The Department of Homeland Security indicates that since President Trump took office in January, the administration deported 152,000 people, which proves less than the 195,000 deportations carried out by Biden in the period from February through April of 2019. 

The Trump administration used threats of large fines as well as attempts to remove legal status and deployments to prison facilities in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador to pressure migrants to voluntarily depart from the country. 

DHS Secretary: Self-Deportation Is “Best and Safest” Option 

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. 

DHS to begin paying for flights and a $1000 stipend to illegals once they leave the US and self deport. pic.twitter.com/r0B2iJQsZN

— Roy Rogue (@rogue185263) May 5, 2025

The administration introduced the rebranded app CBP Home in March because it aimed to assist individuals with self-deportation processes. Prior to its renaming the Biden administration had used CBP One to enable legal migration into the United States. 

In April Trump introduced the concept of financial compensation for migration during his announcement. 

“If they’re good, if we want them back in, we’re going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can,” he said. 

DHS expressed in its Monday announcement that people who depart voluntarily may help maintain legal access to re-entry while omitting any information about specific return programs or pathways.