'Farcical proceeding': Mahmoud Khalil's lawyers want deportation case terminated Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 05/15/2026 - 19:26 The New York Times reported a string of 'unusual' events in immigration court that may have served the Trump administration Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil leads a 'March for Humanity' against Israel's assault on Gaza, on 16 August 2025 in New York City (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images via AFP) Off Mahmoud Khalil's lawyers said on Friday that they have asked the US Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to reopen his immigration case and terminate it entirely, citing a litany of "abnormalities" they say indicate their client did not receive fair treatment under the law.  The motion was filed on Thursday . The former Columbia University student and Palestinian rights activist came a step closer to being deported after the BIA issued a final removal order in his case early last month.  The judges who make up the BIA do not operate as an independent judiciary because the BIA falls under the control of the executive branch of government - in this case, the Trump administration. The same applies to all immigration courts, which operate under the Department of Justice (DOJ), even though, in theory, they are bound by US law and not the government's agenda.  But last week, The New York Times revealed  that the BIA's ruling was an "unusually speedy decision" that "included the recusal of multiple judges, continuing a pattern of abnormality that has marked the case from its outset".  Internal documents viewed by the paper indicated that Khalil's file was flagged as a high-priority case, even though immigration cases that are assessed after a person is freed from detention can take years.  The BIA's decision took nine days, and three judges recused themselves from the process, possibly indicating some kind of conflict in having assessed the very same case before, The New York Times said.  The motion filed by Khalil's legal team contains testimony from a former immigration judge who believes the same .  'Must be thrown out' Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside his home in New York City in March 2025.