Tipsheet

DHS: Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Will Be Rearrested and Deported to Algeria

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  January 22, 2026 2:30 PM

Last week, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Trump administration in the ongoing deportation case of former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. 

Khalil, a 30-year-old Palestinian activist, has been fighting deportation for almost a year following his arrest by ICE last March. He was held in a Louisiana detention facility until June, when a judge in New Jersey ordered his release.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling, saying the judge didn't have the authority to issue such a ruling.

Now a top Department of Homeland Security told NewNation's Katie Pavlich that Khalil will be rearrested and sent to Algeria.

Here's more:

Mahmoud Khalil, the Syrian-born activist the Trump administration has sought to deport over pro-Palestinian demonstrations he helped organize in New York, will be retaken into custody and sent to the North African country of Algeria, a top official with the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.

Khalil and his attorneys for months have legally challenged the White House’s efforts to remove the green card holder, who is of Palestinian heritage, saying it would violate the Constitution. An appellate court decision last week, however, was widely seen as a victory for the Trump administration.

“It looks like he’ll go to Algeria. That’s what the thought is right now,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs.

“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,” McLaughlin said.

The Trump administration has argued since early last year that Khalil was providing support to Hamas and that he lied on documents when he applied for U.S. residency. Khalil has also filed a $20 million suit against the Trump administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned and "maliciously prosecuted."