The Department of Homeland Security condemned the decision of district judge to release Columbia University graduate and activist Mahmoud Khalil and said only an immigration judge has the authority to decide if Khalil should be released or detained. “It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America. The Trump Administration acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority to detain Khalil, as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews, and damages property. An immigration judge has already vindicated this position. We expect a higher court to do the same,” the DHS said in a statement.“On the same day an immigration judge denied Khalil bond and ordered him removed, one rogue district judge ordered him released. This is yet another example of how out of control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security. Their conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 election, it also does great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts,” the statement added.

Mahmoud Khalil released on bail after more than three months in detention

Michael Farbiarz of New Jersey, in his verdict, said Khalil is a lawful permanent resident and was neither a flight risk nor dangerous. His prolonged detention since March was potentially punitive. Speaking to journalists before heading to New York from Louisiana, where he was held, he said he was most eager to see his wife and his son, who was born during his 104 days in detention.“The only time I spent [with] my son was a specified one-hour limit that the government had imposed on us,” he said.“So that means that now I can actually hug him and Noor, my wife, without looking at the clock.”He also criticised the Trump administration for targeting him for protesting against Israel’s military actions in Gaza: “There’s no right person that should be detained for actually protesting a genocide.”White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Mr Khalil of engaging in “fraud and misrepresentation” and “conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests”. “We expect to be vindicated on appeal, and look forward to removing Khalil from the United States,” Jackson said.