A decision was made to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Halil, who was detained in the United States for leading demonstrations in support of Palestine.

Judge Jamee Comans, who handles immigration cases in the US, ruled that it was appropriate to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Halil for leading demonstrations in support of Palestine. It was noted that this decision could also affect many international students in similar situations. Halil’s lawyers were given until April 23 to stop the deportation decision. It was noted that after this period, Halil would be sent to either Syria or Algeria. Halil, who holds a green card and is married to an American citizen, stated after the trial, “I would like to quote what you said last time: There is nothing more important for this court than the rights to a fair trial and basic justice. What we are witnessing today clearly shows that none of these principles have been applied today or throughout this entire process.”

Halil pointed out that the reason why the Trump administration brought him to a court more than 1.5 kilometers away from his family was precisely for this reason, stating, “I only hope that this urgency granted to me will also be given to the hundreds of people waiting for trials for months.”