Khalil, a citizen of Algeria, was ordered removed by a U.S. immigration judge on Sept. 12, 2025.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said on Jan. 21 that Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist at the center of the Trump administration’s deportation battles, may be removed to Algeria.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who leads the department’s Office of Public Affairs, made the announcement during an appearance on the NewsNation show “Katie Pavlich Tonight” in response to a question about Khalil.
“It looks like he’ll go to Algeria. That’s what the thought is right now,” McLaughlinsaid. “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.”
Khalil, who is a green card holder and thus a permanent resident, has been the subject of a longstanding legal controversy ever since he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8, 2025. He was involved in protests against Israel for actions during its war with Hamas in Gaza, which began after the terrorist group attacked the country on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Trump administration sought to remove Khalil from the country based on his activism at Columbia University,citing a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that permits the removal of foreign nationals whose presence may have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States.
The administration later added another charge of deportability, arguing in an immigration court that in his application to adjust status and become a lawful permanent resident, Khalil willfully misrepresented a material fact. Namely, he allegedly failed to disclose his affiliation with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an organization that opposes the Israeli government.
On these charges, Khalil was issued anorder of removal on Sept. 12, 2025, by an immigration judge, sending him to Algeria, and in the alternative, to Syria. Khalil later filed a petition for release from ICE custody, seeking a writ of habeas corpus from federal district court, which was initially granted but later reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, allowing for his re-arrest.
By Arjun Singh
