Columbia Protester Mahmoud Khalil Accused of Hiding UNRWA Ties on Green Card Application

Allegations of Undisclosed Affiliations

• 📌 Federal prosecutors allege that Mahmoud Khalil, a detained Columbia University protester, failed to disclose his ties to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on his immigration paperwork.
• ⚠️ Khalil, a green-card holder, is accused of not disclosing his work as a political affairs officer with UNRWA between June and November 2023.
• 💼 Additionally, he allegedly failed to disclose a prior position at the British Embassy in Lebanon and his involvement with the anti-Israel group Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

Deportation Proceedings and Defense

• ⚖️ The Department of Justice argues these omissions are grounds for deportation, dismissing Khalil's First Amendment defense as a "red herring."
• 🏛️ Khalil, who is Syrian-born with Palestinian descent and Algerian citizenship, was arrested by ICE agents on March 8th and is being held in a Louisiana immigration detention center.
• 🗣️ Lawyers for Khalil maintain that the charges are meritless and that the case is primarily focused on his pro-Palestinian activism.

Background and Legal Actions

• 🎓 Khalil initially came to the US in 2022 on a student visa to pursue a master's degree at Columbia University.
• 💍 He later applied for permanent residency after marrying an American citizen, who is currently eight months pregnant.
• 📜 Beyond fighting deportation, Khalil is also involved in a lawsuit against Columbia University, Barnard College, and a House committee chairman to prevent the release of disciplinary records related to campus protests.