Khalil, a Columbia student, was arrested by ICE in March over his involvement in pro-Palestine activism despite being a permanent resident. Citing a Cold War-era law, administration officials claimed Khalil’s presence in the country is detrimental to the US’s foreign policy interest.

This is the first judge to rule on the constitutionality of President Trump's pursuit of the deportation of any non-citizen deemed a peril to U.S. foreign policy.

A federal judge in New Jersey ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration's efforts to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil are most likely unconstitutional but did not set him free from custody.