Lawyers for detained Columbia student ask for his release on bail

NEW YORK - A Columbia University student detained over his pro-Palestinian activism is not a flight risk and should be allowed to return home for the birth of his first child, his lawyers argued in a motion for bail on Saturday.

Mahmoud Khalil - a 30-year-old permanent U.S. resident of Palestinian descent - was arrested a week ago at his university residence. He has not been charged with a crime and is being held in immigration custody in Louisiana. His wife, an American citizen, is due to give birth next month.

The case has become a flashpoint for President Donald Trumps vow to deport some activists who took part in protests on U.S. college campuses against Israels war on Hamas in Gaza following the October 2023 attack by the Palestinian militants.

Khalil was a prominent member of the protest movement at Columbia University. His arrest sparked protests this week.

Justice Department lawyers have argued the U.S. government is seeking Khalils removal because Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reasonable grounds to believe his activities or presence in the country could have serious adverse foreign policy consequences.

The U.S. will likely revoke visas of more students in the coming days, Rubio said on Friday.

Under a provision of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, a law passed in 1952, any immigrant may be deported if the secretary of state deems their presence in the country potentially adverse to American foreign policy. Legal experts have said that provision is rarely invoked, and Khalils lawyers have said it was not intended to silence dissent.

His detention unquestionably chills his speech, as the federal government monitors and controls his ability to communicate with the outside world and has complete power over all of the decisions that impact his daily life inside a remote private