DHS Prepares To Deport Anti-Israel Activist Mahmoud Khalil To Algeria

The Trump administration is preparing to deport anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil after months of legal battles.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed plans to rearrest Khalil and send him to Algeria. It comes after a federal court issued a ruling last week against Khalil’s release from federal immigration custody that handed a victory to the Trump administration.

“It looks like he’ll go to Algeria, that’s what the thought is right now. It’s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a Green Card that you are a guest in this country, act like it,” McLaughlin told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Wednesday night.

“It is a privilege, not a right to be in this country to live or to study. And if you are pushing propaganda that relishes the killings of Americans or promotes terrorists, the door’s that way,” she added.

Mahmoud Khalil will be rearrested and sent to Algeria, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs @TriciaOhio told NewsNation’s @KatiePavlich on Wednesday. “It’s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a green card. You are a guest in this country. Act like… pic.twitter.com/4JEnGoh1bS

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) January 22, 2026

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Khalil, a Green Card holder from Syria who is also of Palestinian descent, in March after he helped lead anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and engaged in activities that were “aligned to Hamas,” DHS said at the time.

After Khalil’s arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his “presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”

Rubio pledged to take away the immigration status of foreigners found to be “Hamas supporters” after Khalil was nabbed.

“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio said on X at the time.

A federal judge in New Jersey ordered Khalil’s release from immigration detention in June.

Last Thursday, however, a panel from the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the judge lacked jurisdiction to order Khalil’s release, Reuters reported. The latest order opened the door for authorities to rearrest Khalil.