US immigration appeals board decides Mahmoud Khalil can be deported

US immigration appeals board decides Mahmoud Khalil can be deported Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 04/10/2026 - 17:06 The removal decision cannot be carried out while his federal case is ongoing, his lawyers said Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil attends the 'Stand with Gaza' protest at Bryant Park in New York City, on 16 August 2025 (Leonardo Munoz/AFP) Off Former Columbia University student and Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil is now a step closer to being deported from the US after the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued a final removal order in his case on Thursday. The judges who make up the BIA do not operate as an independent judiciary. The BIA falls under the control of the executive branch of government - in this case, the Trump administration.