Mahmoud Kahlil Set to Be Deported to Algeria

Mahmoud Kahlil is the Hamas-supporting Columbia University graduate student who led the disruptive and dangerous campus upheaval that left Jewish students living in fear. The Trump administration has been trying to deport him.

Tricia McLaughlin of DHS on whether or not they’d proceed with deportation proceedings:

There are, and it looks like he’ll go to Algeria. That’s what the thought is right now. It’s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a green card: You’re a guest in this country. Act like it is a privilege, not a right to be in this country to live or to study. And if you are a pushing propaganda that relishes the killings of Americans or promotes terrorists doors that way (News Nation).

Good riddance to terror rubbish.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is going to miss his friend:

Mahmoud Khalil is a New Yorker. He should remain in New York City. We have seen this attack on him as part of a larger attack on the freedom of speech that is especially pronounced when it comes to the use of that speech to stand up for Palestinian human rights. And I will make that clear to everyone. And I have said it time and again that he deserves to stay in the city. He deserves to be in the city just like any other New Yorker (Yakoby).

Mamdani should go with him.

Mahmoud Khalil will be deported to Algeria, DHS official says

By: Katie Pavlich, Michael Ramsey, NewsNation,Jan 22, 2026 / 05:30 AM CST

Mahmoud Khalil will be deported to Algeria, DHS official says | Katie Pavlich Tonight

(NewsNation) — Mahmoud Khalil, the Syrian-born activist the Trump administration has sought to deport over pro-Palestinian demonstrations he helped organize in New York, will be retaken into custody and sent to the North African country of Algeria, a top official with the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.

Khalil and his attorneys for months have legally challenged the White House’s efforts to remove the green card holder, who is of Palestinian heritage, saying it would violate the Constitution. An appellate court decision last week, however, was widely seen as a victory for the Trump administration.

“It looks like he’ll go to Algeria. That’s what the thought is right now,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, told “Katie Pavlich Tonight” when asked about Khalil.

How does Mahmoud Khalil’s case affect those with green cards?
“It’s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a green card. You are a guest in this country — act like it,” she added. “It is a privilege, not a right, to be in this country to live or to study.”

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil poses for a portrait during an interview, July 3, 2025, in New York.
On Jan. 15, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling reversed a lower court decision that released Khalil from an immigration jail, bringing the government one step closer to detaining and ultimately deporting the Palestinian activist.

NewsNation has reached out to a member of Khalil’s legal team for a response.

Mahmoud Khalil a major target of Trump administration

Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, was arrested by ICE agents March 8, 2025, becoming the first campus activist swept up in President Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Trump administration has argued that Khalil supports Hamas, a terrorist organization, and lied on documents as he applied for permanent U.S. residency.

Speaking before supporters at a rally in June, Khalil denied that he supports violence.

“Who is Mahmoud Khalil? … Mahmoud Khalil is a human rights defender. Mahmoud Khalil is a freedom fighter. Mahmoud Khalil is a refugee. Mahmoud Khalil is a father and husband, and above all, Mahmoud Khalil is Palestinian,” he said.