A federal judge blocked the removal of a Palestinian Columbia University student from the United States on Monday and set a hearing for later this week to consider Mahmoud Khalil's challenge to his detention.
Khalil's arrest and removal are part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on anti-Israel protesters.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said in court papers the hearing would take place in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Trump said Monday on Truth Social that the arrest of Khalil, a Columbia graduate student who organized protests at the school against Israel, will be the first of many.
Federal immigration authorities arrested Khalil on Saturday for his prominent role in Columbia’s protests against Israel.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed Khalil’s arrest in a statement Sunday, describing it as being “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism.”
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