New Jersey
Judge rules Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, but legal battles in NJ and Louisiana remain
Mahmoud Khalil hearing: See video of activity outside
Scenes outside the hearing of detained Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil at U.S. District Court in Newark on Friday, March 28, 2025.
A U.S. immigration judge in Louisiana ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can move forward with efforts to deport former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil.
But the fate of the pro-Palestinian activist remains unclear with legal rounds still to be fought, including in a lawsuit filed by Khalil in New Jersey.
Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans announced the decision in the LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana, according to Reuters. The ruling hands President Donald Trump an early victory in his attempts to crack down on critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The administration has said protests last spring created a threatening environment for Jewish students on campus while Khalil’s attorneys say his actions were protected by the U.S. Constitution’s free-speech guarantees.
Khalil, 30, was arrested March 8 in the lobby of his student apartment building in New York City. The Syrian-born Palestinian, a legal U.S. resident, has not been accused of any crime, but the Trump administration has moved to deport him, arguing his presence has “adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States.
Khalil is being held at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Facility in Jena. But he also has a suit pending in federal court in New Jersey, where he was held for a few hours at an immigrant detention center in Elizabeth before being transferred south.
The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the legal groups representing Khalil, said in a statement after the hearing that the judge’s decision appeared to be “pre-written.” The judge gave Khalil’s attorneys until April 23 to seek a waiver to stop his deportation.
Khalil addressed Judge Comans at the end of the hearing, saying “I would like to quote what you said last time that there’s nothing that’s more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness,” according to an ACLU statement. “Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present today or in this whole process.
“This is exactly why the Trump administration has sent me to this court, 1,000 miles away from my family. I just hope that the urgency that you deemed fit for me are afforded to the hundreds of others who have been here without hearing for months.”
His lawsuit argues the detention violates his rights to free speech and due process, and that his case should be heard in the Garden State. The government tried to get the case moved to Louisiana, where it would be heard by a more conservative judiciary, but a federal court rejected that bid.
The Trump administration has argued it has the right to remove noncitizens under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged in a recent letter that Khalil participated in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities” at Columbia that “undermine U.S. efforts to combat antisemitism.”
The administration has sought to remove other critics of Israel’s fight against the terrorist organization Hamas. Khalil had served as a spokesman for protesters on the Columbia campus opposed to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which were a response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. Protesters have been outraged that the response left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and wounded.
Khalil’s lawyers say their client was engaging in constitutionally protected activity.
This story includes information from Reuters.
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter/X: @ricardokaul
New Jersey
Garden State Equality director resigns amid child endangerment, assault charges
Christian Fuscarino resigned Tuesday as executive director of Garden State Equality amid charges of child endangerment and assault after an incident last month with a child in his Neptune City home.
“I resigned from Garden State Equality to ensure that the organization’s work is not impacted by a private family matter,” Fuscarino, a nationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, said in a statement on social media.
“While my loved ones and I have been working through this moment together with care and love, the press has turned a deeply personal situation into a public headline,” Fuscarino said.
“Everyone involved is safe and navigating this situation responsibly,” he added.
Fuscarino asked that the matter “be seen for what it is: a private family moment, not a public spectacle.”
Fuscarino, 35, is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by a caretaker and two counts of simple assault, according to court documents.
An affidavit of probable cause alleges Fuscarino pulled the child from bed about 8 p.m. on Nov. 9 and struck the victim multiple times in the face with an open hand, pushing the child into a wall during the encounter.
The incident was captured on a home security video system, according to the affidavit.
The child was later taken to the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center in Freehold for a forensic interview. The child made no disclosure of physical abuse, the affidavit states.
However, another person living in the home told investigators they witnessed Fuscarino strike the child and intervened.
The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency obtained the video and notified the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on Nov. 20.
A Neptune City police detective arrested Fuscarino on Nov. 21. The case has since been referred to the prosecutor’s office, court records show.
In a statement Tuesday, Garden State Equality said they had placed Fuscarino on leave after learning of the charges.
By Wednesday, Fuscarino’s bio on the Garden State Equality website had been removed.
“Garden State Equality takes allegations against our staff seriously and we oppose violence of any kind,” the agency said. “We respect the courts and will allow that process to be handled by them.”
Fuscarino had served since 2016 as the executive director of Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ organization in New Jersey, which is based in Asbury Park.
With 20 years of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy, Fuscarino had been at the forefront of efforts to protect transgender rights, combat hate violence, and implement groundbreaking healthcare and education policies.
In a July 2018 story posted to NJ.com, Fuscarino said he wanted to dedicate his life to helping New Jersey’s LGBTQ+ community so that others would not have to suffer the indignities that he endured in adolescence.
New Jersey
10 hospitalized, including some students, after crash involving school bus in New Jersey
MOORESTOWN, N.J. (WPVI) — Ten people, including several students, were hospitalized Tuesday after a school bus crash in Burlington County, New Jersey.
The collision happened around 3 p.m. at Borton Landing and Hartford roads in Moorestown.
Township officials said in a Facebook post that a car and school bus collided at the intersection, injuring six students, the bus driver and three occupants of the passenger vehicle. All injuries appear to be minor, officials said.
“We have been made aware of a bus accident on one of our routes. There are no significant injuries for our students,” Moorestown Township Public Schools said in a statement.
The remaining students on the bus were taken to a nearby school, where they were picked up by family members.
School counselors will be available this week to provide additional support to students.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
New Jersey
Wrong-way driver charged in I-80 crash that injured N.J. State Police trooper
An alleged drunk, wrong-way driver was arrested following a crash on Interstate 80 in Warren County, officials said.
Robert Felegi was driving a pickup truck west in the eastbound lanes in Knowlton when he crashed head-on into a New Jersey State Trooper’s vehicle near milepost 1.4 around midnight Tuesday, State Police said.
The trooper had emergency lights and sirens activated while trying to alert motorists of a hazard ahead, authorities said.
The trooper suffered minor injuries, while Felegi was not hurt.
Felegi, 67, of Middleport, Pennsylvania, was charged with assault by auto and driving under the influence.
He was brought to the Warren County jail ahead of a detention hearing. An attorney for Felegi is not listed in court records.
investigation, and no additional information is available.
-
Iowa3 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Washington1 week agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa4 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine1 day agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
-
Maryland3 days agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
Technology6 days agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
-
South Dakota3 days agoNature: Snow in South Dakota