Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and activist who was detained for taking part in pro-Palestine protests, suffered a legal blow on Thursday that puts him at risk of being rearrested.
Mr Khalil, who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, has been a symbol of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on campus protests over Israel’s two-year war in Gaza.
The White House claims Mr Khalil had disseminated Hamas propaganda during the protests and has sought to have him deported. He was detained by immigration authorities for three months before a judge ordered his release last June.
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that the judge had no jurisdiction to order Mr Khalil's release, marking a victory for the Trump administration.
The ruling opens the door to Mr Khalil being rearrested, but it leaves time for more legal manoeuvres.
His lawyers said the ruling would not go into effect immediately and that they are considering asking for a new hearing.
Mr Khalil called the decision “disappointing" but vowed to “continue to fight, through every legal avenue and with every ounce of determination, until my rights, and the rights of others like me, are fully protected".
Mr Khalil’s lawyers had argued that he had been unlawfully held in retaliation for his opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza with Hamas.
