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
For FIFA World Cup, New Jersey encourages towns to extend alcohol sales at bars, restaurants
New Jersey is trying to help bars and restaurants cash in on the FIFA World Cup by letting them sell more alcohol throughout the tournament.
Over a pint of Guinness at Mulligan’s Pub in Hoboken, Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Monday signed a proclamation encouraging municipalities to temporarily extend alcohol sales during matches.
“This is the first time I’ve signed a proclamation in a bar,” said Sherrill.
What could change?
The goal is to convince local leaders to let bars and restaurants open earlier or stay open later to align with the World Cup schedule across time zones.
Changes would vary from town to town, since the proclamation does not mandate any changes to local rules. It simply gives the option to adjust them during the 39-day event.
“It’s allowing businesses to really get some good economic impact from the World Cup,” said Sherrill.
Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour said she’s open to the idea.
“I think we’ll be taking this into consideration as a great option for us,” Jabbour said. “We’ve been actively working with our public safety departments to make sure that all of the logistics around World Cup are coordinated appropriately.”
Bar owner expects big crowds
Mulligan’s Pub owner Louis Jannuzzi said the business is expecting big crowds during the tournament.
“We’re expecting a lot of people to show up, but we’re going to make it the best place to go watch a game, other than going to the game itself I suppose,” Jannuzzi said.
Extended hours could be mean even bigger business for Mulligan’s and bars across the state.
The six-county region — Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic and Union — is home to 2.6 million residents, six major league teams and four NCAA Division I athletic programs that collectively drew 12.7 million in attendance during our study.
Home base: The region is home to sports business companies including: 16W Marketing; BetMGM; Goldklang Group; Mars Wrigley (U.S. operations); Prudential Financial; Samsung; Skanska; and ZRG Partners.
Over the past three years, MetLife Stadium (which will host eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including the final), and Prudential Center (which added the PWHL Sirens to its busy roster) each reported record revenues, and Sports Illustrated Stadium snagged a new naming-rights deal and will be the official NY/NJ World Cup 26 Jersey Fan Hub.
Recent events and wins for the area include WrestleMania in 2019; the SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa in March; 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball East Regional; and Brazil’s base camp at the Red Bulls’ Columbia Park Training Center.
Previous Rankings
2023: #2 (with New York City)
2024 Event Hosting: #7 (with New York City)
2025 Soccer: #2 (with New York City)
A black bear was spotted in the area of Frederick Court in Princeton on Saturday night, according to an alert issued to residents. A bear was also spotted May 15 in the area of Heather Lane between Cherry Valley Road and Great Road. It is unclear whether the latest sighting is the same bear.
Residents are advised not to approach the bear and to remain indoors if they see it.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, black bears are common in parts of New Jersey, and they sometimes travel through residential neighborhoods as part of their natural movement patterns.
Residents should not leave food or garbage outdoors because bears can quickly become attracted to human food sources. Bears may eat garbage, pet food, birdseed, and other easily accessible items. Bears that gain access to food in residential neighborhoods may lose their fear of people and repeatedly return to the area. Some nuisance bears eventually must be trapped.
State wildlife officials urged residents in bear-prone areas to take precautions to reduce the chances of attracting bears.
Recommended precautions from the The information was provided by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife include:
- Use certified bear-resistant garbage containers.
- Store garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Keep garbage in a secure location until the morning of pickup.
- Do not feed bears.
- Do not approach bears.
- Do not run from bears because running may trigger a chase response.
- Avoid direct eye contact with bears.
- Remain calm and slowly back away if encountering a bear.
- Make noise by yelling, clapping, singing, or using an air horn.
- Make yourself appear larger by waving your arms or lifting a jacket overhead.
- Stay together if you are in a group.
- Make sure the bear has an escape route.
Officials also advised residents to watch for warning behaviors from bears, including huffing sounds, jaw popping, and swatting at the ground, which can indicate the animal feels threatened.
Bears may stand on their hind legs to get a better view or detect scents in the air, which is not always considered threatening behavior.
Residents can report black bear damage or nuisance behavior to the NJDEP’s 24-hour hotline at 1-877-WARN-DEP, or 1-877-927-6337.
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