Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is expected to be re-arrested and deported to Algeria, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Wednesday, January 21st, during an appearance on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight. “It looks like he’ll go to Algeria. That’s what the thought is right now,” McLaughlin remarked.
McLaughlin underscored the administration’s broader message for noncitizens living in the United States. “It’s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a green card. You are a guest in this country — act like it,” she added. “It is a privilege, not a right, to be in this country to live or to study.”
Khalil, a Syrian-born green card holder and former Columbia University graduate student, has been at the center of a prolonged legal dispute with the Trump administration. Authorities allege he misrepresented information on his permanent residency application and supported Hamas, claims he has consistently denied. His case has drawn attention as part of broader enforcement actions targeting pro-Palestinian activism and disruptions on U.S. campuses.
He was originally arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in March 2025, becoming one of the first campus activists detained during the administration’s crackdown on demonstrations linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Khalil spent several months in a Louisiana ICE facility.
In June, a federal judge ordered his release, ruling that the government’s use of a rarely invoked statute allowing deportation based on foreign policy concerns was likely unconstitutional. That decision was overturned last week by a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which concluded the case must proceed through the immigration court system before constitutional claims could be addressed.
