A US federal judge passed a ruling on Wednesday stating that the Donald Trump administration cannot keep using US foreign policy interests as a means to justify the detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. However, he then delayed the release order, saying that the ruling will not come into effect until Friday, according to a Reuters report.
Federal judge delivers big order, then adds a ‘clause’
Judge Michael Farbiarz was quoted as saying in his order that the ruling would not immediately take effect, and that the administration has until 9:30 am Friday to respond to this latest ruling. It is now to be seen how the Trump administration reacts or appeals to this latest ruling, looking at the fact that they have been trying to detain Khalil for some time now. Meanwhile, this order is being seen as a major setback for the Trump administration in the cases of legal US residents.
This new ruling comes soon after another order passed last Thursday, preventing the Trump administration from arresting a Columbia University student, Yunseo Chung, 21, whom it is seeking to detain and deport to South Korea ever since she participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration earlier this year. According to reports, Chung has never lived in South Korea since she was 7 years of age.
Meanwhile, in another development, Noor Abdalla, 28, wife of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, was interviewed by Reuters, after which she appeared for a portrait.
