在周四近10个小时的法庭听证会后，移民法官不会立即决定巴勒斯坦激进分子马哈茂德·哈利勒特朗普政府在他作为哥伦比亚大学学生帮助组织亲巴勒斯坦抗议活动后将其驱逐出境，他有资格获得庇护。
相反，贾米·科曼斯法官让哈利勒的律师和特朗普政府的律师在6月2日之前就此事提交书面结案陈述，然后她再做出决定。哈利勒周四出庭作证。
哈利勒是绿卡持有者，与一名美国公民结婚，自ICE特工以来一直被关押在路易斯安那州的拘留所逮捕了他三月在他纽约公寓大楼的大厅里。
哈利勒周四出庭作证时，作证支持他寻求庇护和不被驱逐到阿尔及利亚或叙利亚的理由，他是这两个国家的公民。
他详细讲述了自己在叙利亚的一个巴勒斯坦难民营中长大的经历，他说他的朋友和家人在那里面临着酷刑、绑架，甚至死亡。他一再表示，特朗普政府指控他是哈马斯支持者，这使他在任何他可能被驱逐到的国家都成为以色列的目标。在叙利亚，他还表示，阿萨德政权的残余势力以及国内的军事派别也可能将他作为目标，或者他可能被用作叙利亚新政府与包括美国在内的其他国家谈判的“筹码”
在听证会之前，哈利勒第一次见到了他年幼的儿子。哈利勒的妻子努尔·阿卜杜拉博士出席了会议生了孩子4月21日，在哈利勒被拘留在路易斯安那州期间，给这对夫妇的儿子。
在整个听证会上，当新生儿咕咕叫时，哈利勒经常回头看他的孩子。
哈利勒还证实了他在哥伦比亚不同抗议团体之间谈判的角色。
他说:“犹太人和巴勒斯坦人的解放是交织在一起的。
哈利勒在最后一次作证时说，他将继续抗议加沙战争。
“我花了一生中美好的时光逃离伤害，倡导被边缘化的人拥有权利。这就是让我陷入危险的原因。以色列正在实施种族灭绝。美国正在资助那场种族灭绝。哥伦比亚大学正在投资它。这就是我抗议的。这是我将继续抗议的。这才是大家应该抗议的。这是我们努力的方向，”他说。
听证会早些时候，哈利勒的法律团队传唤了几位专家证人，包括加州大学戴维斯分校的历史学家穆里亚姆·戴维斯(Muriam Davis)，他是中东和北非问题专家，他作证说，由于此案的臭名昭著，哈利勒如果被驱逐到阿尔及利亚或叙利亚，可能会面临危险。
“总的来说，他的案子已经获得了国际知名度，这将使他成为目标，”戴维斯作证说。
上个月，科曼裁定哈利勒可以被驱逐出境根据国务卿马尔科·卢比奥的断言，他在该国的继续存在和行动造成了“不利的外交政策后果”她没有要求审查任何支持这些说法的证据。
唐纳德·特朗普总统政府的官员表示，哈利勒因据称支持哈马斯而被拘留，他的法律团队否认了这一说法。
在该案的一份备忘录中，卢比奥写道，哈利勒应该被驱逐出境，因为他涉嫌参与“反犹太主义抗议和破坏性活动，这些活动在美国培养了一种对犹太学生的敌对环境。”
在周四早些时候的诉讼中，Comans拒绝了哈利勒的动议，终止案件的基础上，他的指控，他的逮捕和拘留是非法的，因为他是没有逮捕令就被逮捕了.
法官还拒绝听取哈利勒团队关于政府指控哈利勒在绿卡申请中撒谎的论点，称这个问题“无关紧要”，因为她已经确定哈利勒可以被撤职。
哈利勒的律师马克·范德胡特(Marc Van Der Hout)和科曼斯法官之间发生了几次激烈的争吵，科曼斯法官一度警告范德胡特“不要和她争吵”。
范德胡特提高了嗓门回答道:“好吧，我要和你争论。”
“你会输的，”科曼斯回答道。
在听证会之前，哈利勒的律师提交了600多页的文件，声明和专家分析，以支持他们的说法，即他不是反犹太主义者，如果他被驱逐出境，他可能会面临酷刑和死亡。
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil takes the stand in bid for asylum
Following a nearly 10-hour court hearing Thursday, an immigration judge will not immediately decide if Palestinian activistMahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration has targeted for deportation after he helped organize pro-Palestinian protests as a student at Columbia University, is eligible for asylum.
Instead Judge Jamee Comans is giving attorneys for Khalil, who took the stand Thursday, as well as attorneys for the Trump administration until June 2 to file written closing statements on the matter before she makes her decision.
Khalil, a green card holder who is married to an American citizen, has been held in a Louisiana detention facility since ICE agentsarrested himin the lobby of his apartment building in New York City in March.
When he took the stand Thursday, Khalil testified in support of his case for asylum and for withholding of removal to either Algeria or Syria, where he is a citizen of both countries.
He spoke at length about growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria where he said his friends and family faced torture, kidnappings and, in some cases, death. He repeatedly stated that the Trump administration's accusations that he's a Hamas supporter makes him a target for Israel in any country he could be deported to. In Syria, he also said remnants of the Assad regime as well as military factions within the country could target him as well or that he could be used as a "bargaining chip" in negotiations between the new Syrian government and other nations including the U.S.
Prior to the hearing, Khalil met his infant son for the first time. The proceedings were attended by Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, whogave birthto the couple's son on April 21 during Khalil's ongoing detention in Louisiana.
Throughout the hearing Khalil would often look back toward his baby when the newborn cooed.
Khalil also testified about his role negotiating between different protest groups at Columbia.
"The liberation of Jewish people and Palestinian people are intertwined," he said.
In one of his final remarks on the stand, Khalil said he would continue to protest against the war in Gaza.
"I spent a good time of my life fleeing from harm, advocating for the marginalized to have rights. That's what put me in danger. Israel is committing genocide. America is funding that genocide. Columbia is investing in it. That is what I was protesting. This is what I will continue to protest. This is what everyone should protest. This is where our efforts should go," he said.
Earlier in the hearing, several expert witnesses were called by Khalil's legal team, including U.C. Davis historian Muriam Davis, an expert on the Middle East and North Africa, who testified to the dangers Khalil might face if deported to Algeria or Syria, due to the notoriety of the case.
"In general, his case has achieved an international prominence that would make him a target," Davis testified.
Last month, Comans ruled thatKhalil is deportablebased on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's assertion that his continued presence and actions in the country poses "adverse foreign policy consequence." She did not ask to review any evidence backing those claims.
Officials from President Donald Trump's administration have said Khalil was detained for his purported support of Hamas -- a claim his legal team has rejected.
In a memo filed in the case, Rubio wrote that Khalil should be deported because of his alleged role in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States."
Earlier in Thursday's proceedings, Comans denied Khalil's motion to terminate the case based on his allegation that his arrest and detention is illegal because he wasarrested without a warrant.
The judge also declined to hear argument from Khalil's team pertaining to the government's allegations that Khalil lied on his application for a green card, saying the issue was "irrelevant" because she had already determined that Khalil was removable.
There were several heated exchanges between Khalil's counsel, Marc Van Der Hout, and Judge Comans, who at one point cautioned Van Der Hout "not to argue with her."
Van Der Hout, his voice rising, replied, "Well, I am going to argue with you."
"And you're going to lose," Comans responded.
Ahead of the hearing, Khalil's attorney submitted over 600 pages of documents, declarations, and expert analyses supporting their claim that he is not antisemitic and that he could face torture and death if he were to be deported.
