Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Bid to Transfer Mahmoud Khalil’s Case to Louisiana

A U.S. federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to transfer the high-profile deportation case of Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil from New Jersey to Louisiana. The ruling ensures that Khalil’s legal battle will continue in New Jersey, where his lawyers initially filed their Habeas Corpus petition.

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, in his written decision, dismissed the government’s argument that the case should be moved based on Khalil’s relocation to a detention facility in Louisiana. He ruled that jurisdiction remains in New Jersey since Khalil was held there when the petition was filed, calling the administration’s reasoning “unpersuasive.”

While the decision does not secure Khalil’s release or relocation, it allows his legal team to challenge his detention in a jurisdiction where they initially sought relief. The Trump administration has been pushing to deport noncitizen student activists involved in campus protests, making Khalil’s case a key legal battleground.

Had the case been transferred to Louisiana, it could have landed before one of the country’s most conservative appeals courts, potentially setting a broader legal precedent for deporting student activists. Now, Khalil’s attorneys will present their arguments in New Jersey, keeping his fate in the hands of a court less aligned with the administration’s immigration policies.