Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil asks US Supreme Court to review his detention case

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil on Monday asked the US Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court ruling that barred district courts from hearing his challenge to his detention and deportation proceedings.

According to a petition filed by his lawyers, Khalil argued that the government arrested and detained him in March 2025 to punish him for speaking out for Palestinians and to scare others into silence.

He was held for 104 days. A federal judge ordered his release in June 2025.

In January, a US federal appeals court overturned that release order in a 2-1 ruling, saying the judge had no power to hear his case until he finishes the immigration court process. In May, the full appeals court refused to reconsider.

Khalil's lawyers noted that immigration courts are part of the executive branch, so the government can drag out the process and punish him in the meantime.

"If the decision stands, the government would be handed a powerful and unprecedented weapon to silence its critics," the petition said.

The court is not yet being asked to rule on whether his detention was unlawful, only whether a judge can hear his claim now.

Khalil is not currently detained. His deportation case continues in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, where written arguments are expected to end in early November.

Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı