January 16, 2026
US appeals court ruling raises prospect of re-arrest of pro-Palestinian activist
2-1 decision by US 3rd Circuit opens door to Mahmoud Khalil’s re-arrest after lawsuit dismissed FILE PHOTO: Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil attends a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Columbia University, on the two-year anniversary of the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza, in Manhattan in New York, U.S., October 7, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a judge lacked jurisdiction to order the release of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention, handing President Donald Trump’s administration a victory in its efforts to deport the pro-Palestinian activist. The 2-1 decision by












