Mahmoud Khalil to appeal US deportation case to Supreme Court

Key points

• Pro-Palestine advocate takes claim that Trump administration targeted him for protected free speech to top US court.
• Mahmoud Khalil, who has been targeted for deportation by the administration of US President Donald Trump over his pro-Palestine advocacy, will appeal his case to the Supreme Court, according to his lawyers.
• The announcement on Friday came after a federal appeals court – in a 6-5 decision – declined to rehear Khalil’s case challenging his immigration detention.
• Khalil has pursued two legal tracks since his detainment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in March 2025. The first challenged his detention on civil liberties grounds, maintaining that his free speech rights as a US permanent resident had been trampled.
• Last June, a federal judge sided with Khalil, ordering his release from immigration detention and barring his deportation.