Immigration Judge Rules Khalil Can Be Deported, but Legal Hurdles Remain

An immigration judge in Louisiana found on Friday that the Trump administration could deport Mahmoud Khalil, granting the government an early victory in its efforts to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on U.S. college campuses.

The ruling is far from the final word on whether Mr. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident, will be deported. His lawyers will continue their fight in Louisiana and New Jersey, arguing that he has been targeted for constitutionally protected speech.

For the time being, the decision by the judge, Jamee E. Comans, affirmed the extraordinary power that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has asserted to target any noncitizen for deportation.

In Mr. Khalil’s case, Mr. Rubio relied on a rarely cited law, declaring that the Columbia graduate’s presence in the United States was adverse to American foreign policy interests. Judge Comans found that the government had met the burden of evidence the law requires.

Immigration judges are employees of the executive branch, not the judiciary, and often approve the Homeland Security Department’s deportation efforts. It would be unusual for such a judge, serving the U.S. attorney general, to grapple with the constitutional questions raised by Mr. Khalil’s case. She would also run the risk of being fired by an administration that has targeted dissenters.

“This court is without jurisdiction to entertain challenges to the validity of this law under the Constitution,” Judge Comans said as she delivered her ruling. She denied requests from Mr. Khalil’s lawyers, who had asked to cross-examine or depose Mr. Rubio so that he could elaborate on his claims.