An American immigration judge has ordered the deportation of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria after ruling that he concealed crucial information on his green card application. 

Court documents released late Wednesday disclosed a dramatic turn for the Columbia University student, who could now be forced to leave America over the alleged omissions by immigration officials who say he undermined the integrity of his permanent residency filing.

Mr. Khalil’s attorneys vowed to challenge the ruling while emphasizing that existing federal district court injunctions shield their client from immediate removal or detention as a parallel federal case moves through the courts.

“It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech,” Mr. Khalil said in a statement. “Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again.”

The ruling was made last week but only came to light after Mr. Khalil’s lawyers filed a new motion this week with New Jersey-based U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz as part of the activist’s lawsuit against the government. He now has 30 days to appeal the decision made by a Louisiana-based immigration judge, Jamee Comans, who cited the “gravity” of Mr. Khalil’s conduct as reason to deny any judicial discretion in the matter. 

The immigration judge delivered a sharp rebuke of the activist, describing him as an “intelligent, Ivy League-educated individual” who should have understood his obligation to provide complete disclosure during the application process.

Immigration officers arrested Mr. Khalil in March after the Department of State stripped him of both his visa and green card, targeting the Syrian-born Algerian citizen just months after he completed his master’s degree at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. 

His case has become a focal point in the debate over the government’s crackdown on the anti-Israel activism that exploded on American college campuses in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack. 

Mr. Khalil has vowed to continue to “speak up for Palestine” even if the administration “would kill me.”