Stunning court reversal means Columbia activist may be rearrested

Judges overturn ruling that freed pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil

by Sophie Nieto-Munoz, Louisiana Illuminator
January 15, 2026

A pro-Palestinian activist arrested by immigration officials after participating in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and then freed by a federal judge in New Jersey may be rearrested after a federal appeals court ruled against him Thursday.

The 2-1 decision from the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals says Mahmoud Khalil must fight...