Detained Columbia student protester must be allowed to meet wife, judge rules

Detained Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil must be allowed to meet his wife, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

The order by US district judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, comes after Khalil's wife Noor Abdalla said US immigration and customs enforcement denied her request to meet Khalil at the detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, where he has been held for more than two months.

Abdalla, a dentist who gave birth to the couple's first child last month, said she wanted Khalil to be able to hold his newborn son for the first time.

The Trump administration arrested Khalil, 30, on March 8 and is seeking to deport him over his participation in protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.

The state department revoked his green card, which granted him lawful permanent residence, under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting officials the right to deport any non-citizen whose presence in the US is deemed adverse to Washington's interests.

Khalil, who entered the US on a student visa, and his supporters say his arrest and attempted deportation are violations of his right to freedom of speech under the US constitution's First Amendment.

Farbiarz, who is weighing Khalil's challenge to the constitutionality of his arrest, said in a written ruling Khalil must be allowed to meet his lawyers and his wife by 10.30am, local time (5.30 in SA) on Thursday.

Khalil has a hearing scheduled for Thursday before the immigration judge in Louisiana who is considering his challenge to his deportation, which is a separate process from the case before Farbiarz.

In a court filing, justice department lawyers representing the government said allowing Abdalla to join Khalil and his legal team in the meeting raised “security concerns”, without elaborating. They said the facility housed only male detainees.

“There would be security concerns of allowing Dr Abdalla to join a secured portion where there is no space for co-ed visitation,” the lawyers wrote.

Farbiarz is still considering Khalil's bid for release.

Reuters