An immigration appeals board has issued a final order of removal for anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil, advancing the Trump administration’s effort to deport the Columbia University graduate, according to his legal team.

The Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled Thursday to deny Khalil’s bid to dismiss the case, marking a significant development in the administration’s push to deport him from the U.S.

Khalil, a 31-year-old lawful permanent resident, has been at the center of a broader federal crackdown on noncitizens involved in anti-Israel campus protests tied to the war in Gaza. He was the first person whose arrest became publicly known as part of the crackdown.

His legal team blasted the decision as “baseless and politically motivated,” arguing the government is retaliating against his speech and lacks evidence to support the case.

MAHMOUD KHALIL AVOIDS EXPLICIT HAMAS CONDEMNATION, CRITICIZES ‘SELECTIVE OUTRAGE’ AMID PALESTINIAN SUFFERING

Mahmoud Khalil speaks into a megaphone during a protest outside Columbia University in New York City on March 9, 2026. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“In all my decades as an immigration lawyer, I have never seen such a baseless and politically motivated decision,” Khalil’s lead attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, said in a statement issued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The BIA’s decision has absolutely no support in the record, violates a federal court order, and we’ll be fighting it until the end.”

The Trump administration has argued Khalil’s protest activity was “aligned with Hamas,” a claim cited by the Department of Homeland Security and other officials, though authorities have not publicly detailed specific evidence linking him to the terrorist group.

Khalil has also denied allegations of antisemitism. Officials have also cited a rare foreign policy provision of U.S. immigration law, sometimes referred to as a “Rubio determination,” as well as alleged issues tied to his green card application.

Despite the ruling, Khalil’s attorneys say he cannot be deported while his separate federal habeas case continues to play out in court.

A federal judge in New Jersey previously found the government’s justification for detaining Khalil was likely unconstitutional and ordered his release.

After his arrest, Khalil spent 104 days in immigration detention, missing the birth of his first child before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release.

Khalil later suffered a setback in his federal case when a U.S. appeals panel ruled that the New Jersey judge overstepped his authority by ordering his release. In a 2-1 decision, the panel found the case must proceed through the immigration court system before it can be challenged in federal court.

His lawyers are now requesting the full appeals panel reconsider that decision and have asked one of the judges to step aside over his prior role as a Justice Department official involved in investigating student protesters.

Khalil has denied wrongdoing and said the case is an attempt to silence him.

“I am not surprised by this decision from the biased and politically motivated Board of Immigration Appeals. I have committed no crime. I have broken no law. The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it,” Khalil said in a statement released by the ACLU.

DHS FIRES BACK AFTER MAHMOUD KHALIL TARGETS TRUMP ADMIN FOR $20M OVER DETENTION

Anti-Israel students occupy a central lawn at Columbia University in New York City on April 21, 2024. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

“My family is here. My life is here. I reject any attempt to intimidate me out of my home based on lies and ideological attacks,” he said. “This is not justice. This is just another attempt to retaliate against me.”

Khalil, a prominent organizer of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University in 2024 who the Trump administration is seeking to deport, was initially arrested in 2025 at his university-owned apartment in New York City.

Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told him at the time they were revoking his green card, according to his attorney, Amy Greer. He was later transferred to a detention center in Louisiana.

Khalil played a major role in protests against Israel that rocked Columbia University in 2024 and met with school officials on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups pushing the university to divest from Israel. He completed requirements for a Columbia master’s degree in late 2024.

Born in Syria, he is the grandson of Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland, his lawyers said in a legal filing. His wife, a U.S. citizen, gave birth to the couple’s child while he was in detention.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously defended the Trump administration’s actions following Khalil’s arrest in March, saying he allegedly distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers on campus.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Pro-Hamas activist and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, center, speaks after his release from federal immigration detention in Jena, La., Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

“This administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans,” Leavitt told reporters at a White House press briefing at the time, noting that on her desk were the “pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas” on them that Khalil allegedly was distributing.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period,” she said.

Fox News Digital has contacted the Justice Department for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have joined the conflict in the Middle East, launching a missile bound for Israel.

It marks the first time the country has involved itself in the war, which began one month ago today after the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury.

Strikes have covered the region ever since, with Trump targeting Tehran while Iran launches strikes at US military bases.

Now, a military spokesman for the Houthis said they are prepared to join the war on behalf of Iran after the US and Israel targeted power and nuclear sites.

This is not the first time they have involved themselves in conflict in the region.

Two years ago the breakaway faction repeatedly launched drones and missiles against commercial vessels, claiming to be attacking Israeli ships in support of Palestine.

It accused the West of ‘blatant aggression’ and after airstrikes on Friday hit dozens of targets, vowing to respond with ‘punishment or retaliation’.

Britain has walked a tightrope over Yemen’s civil war for the last decade – keep reading to find out who’s involved and why some fear the situation could escalate into a full-blown war in the region.

Who are the Houthi rebels?

The Houthi movement is a political and military group that follows a minority strand of Islam called Zaydism, and draws its name from an ancient Arab tribe from northern Yemen called the Houthis.

Following rising instability in the wake of the Arab Spring, they seized control of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a in 2014, sparking one of the deadliest civil wars in recent history – which is still ongoing today.

Yemen’s official government, recognised by most countries including the UK, is backed by a Saudi-led coalition which Britain has supplied with weapons.

Both sides are widely believed to have carried out war crimes and atrocities against civilians, overseeing some of the worst humanitarian conditions in the world.

The Houthis are currently in control over almost all of northern Yemen, although much of the country has been devastated, with a death toll of over 150,000.

Have the Houthis been involved in conflict before?

Houthi forces launched dozens of drone and missile strikes on commercial vessels two years ago following the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

The faction’s goal was ‘prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arab and Red Seas in support of the oppressed Palestinian people’.

Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news

Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.

In reality, though, almost all the targets were international trading ships – some making port in Israel, many simply passing through to other parts of the world.

One of the first incidents – when the Houthis hijacked what they claimed was an Israeli cargo ship in November – actually involved a British-owned ship run by a Japanese firm and staffed by crew from all around the world.

More recently, a Houthi spokesperson said any ship destined for Israel is a ‘legitimate target’. The UN’s shipping watchdog has since confirmed that the Houthis are continuing to attack ships with no links to Israel whatsoever.

Who supports the Houthis?

Yemen’s Houthis are backed by Iran, which began increasing its aid to the group in 2014 as the civil war broke out.

Iran’s theocratic government follows the Shia branch of Islam, of which the Houthi’s Zaydist belief system is a strand.

Iran has given the militants training and an array of sophisticated weapons and military technology, with the alleged help of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group.

The West has accused Iran of involvement in the Red Sea attacks two years ago and ordering the Houthis and other Middle Eastern militias to carry out their attacks on Israel, which Iran denies.

The UN Panel of Experts on Yemen previously found that Iran has ‘failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer’ of various ballistic missiles that the Houthis have deployed against all the vessels.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Houthis rebels in Yemen enter war with missile attack on Israel, injuring 12 US soldiers

MORE: FBI director’s emails and personal photos published by Iranian hackers

MORE: Iran warns Israel and US are ‘playing with fire’ after strikes on nuclear sites

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT and CHRIS POLLARD, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 09:51 EDT, 27 March 2026 | Updated: 10:24 EDT, 27 March 2026

An NHS doctor charged with posting on social media in support of Hamas shouted ‘game on’ today after being released on bail. 

Dr Rahmeh Aladwan appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court where she indicated not guilty pleas to four counts of inviting support for the proscribed group. 

The court heard the charges date from July 23 to December 31 last year, and relate to comments or material posted online.

The 31-year-old also indicated not guilty pleas for stirring up racial hatred using words or behaviour at a speech she allegedly made at a protest on July 21 in King Charles Street, Westminster, and stirring up racial hatred through the publishing and distributing of written material on November 19.

Following the hearing, Aladwan was greeted by more than a dozen protesters waving Palestinian flags, carrying placards and banging a drum. 

After being handed a microphone, she directly addressed the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, shouting: ‘Let me tell you again Wesley Streeting, game on! Game on! Free Palestine!’

Dr Rahmeh Aladwan addressing a crowd outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court this afternoon 

The alleged incidents, which saw the doctor (pictured) charged under the Terrorism Act, happened on four separate occasions – July 23, August 23, October 7 and December 31

Aladwan was arrested at her home in Pilning, south Gloucestershire, yesterday morning for allegedly breaching police bail conditions imposed after previous arrests, police said.

She was taken to a central London police station and charged with the six offences.

Aladwan, who is British Palestinian and appeared in the dock wearing a beige hoodie and a black jacket, was released on conditional bail ahead of a next hearing on April 24 at the Old Bailey.

She spoke only to confirm her identity and indicate her pleas.

Carl Kelvin prosecuting said: ‘Between July and December she posted a large quantity of material on social media and took part in a number of protests against Israel and in support of people in Gaza.’

One of Aladwan’s posts called Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis a ‘genocidal murderer,’ it is claimed.

She also allegedly said Mr Streeting taking money from the Israeli lobby was a sign of ‘Jewish supremacy’.

Aladwan indicated not guilty pleas to four counts of inviting support for the proscribed group

A small crowd of supporters outside the court waved Palestine flags and banged a drum 

District Judge John McGrava said today: ‘There is clearly a very substantial public interest in this case.’

Aladwan is also currently the subject of an investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC).

In November she was suspended from practice for 15 months. 

The GMC’s social media guidelines state clinical personnel have ‘freedom of belief, privacy and expression’.

It adds they must be ‘balanced with the possible impact on other people’s rights and interests’.

Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages on October 7, 2023.

A UN report found Hamas attackers raped women at the Nova music festival site, used ‘sexualised torture’ against hostages and raped women’s corpses.

Aladwan will next appear at the Old Bailey on April 24. 

Activists accused of engaging in a ‘Jew hunt’ as they planned to go door-to-door asking locals to boycott Israeli products were stopped after counter-protesters forced them to hide in a pub. 

Members the Bristol Apartheid-Free Zone (AFZ) campaign had planned a door-knock encouraging people to boycott Israeli businesses amid the country’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

But more than a dozen activists turned up outside of Sainsbury’s at the pre-planned event and accused the group of engaging in a ‘Jew hunt’.

And chants of ‘Palestine will be free’, ‘Israel is a terror state’ and ‘occupation no more’ were met with shouts of ‘stop the Jew hunt’.

Footage taken at the scene appears to show the two groups clashing while chanting and holding flags, with a police presence in the area. 

The AFZ campaigners ended up in a pub, while activists shouted ‘Jew hunt’ and ‘Nazis’ outside.

The canvassers stopped their planned door knocks to avoid confrontation as well as shouting outside people’s homes.

Holding a placard, Susan, who did not want to show her face or share her surname, told the Daily Mail she was terrified of ‘Jew hunts’.

Members the Bristol Apartheid-Free Zone (AFZ) campaign had planned a door-knock encouraging people to boycott Israeli businesses amid the country’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza

Critics say that groups like these may actually encourage antisemitism – or leave Jewish people frightened if they are confronted on their own doorsteps

More than a dozen activists turned up outside of Sainsbury’s at the pre-planned event and accused the group of engaging in a ‘Jew hunt’

She said: ‘I am the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a concerned citizen. I am very worried about Left-wing and Islamic organisations dedicated to Jew hunts.

‘I feel a duty to be here so that haters know people don’t have the support of the general public.

‘As a child of a Holocaust survivor, I grew up hearing these stories with people saying exactly the same thing.

‘This chills me to the bone. I’m standing here for my children, who are going to be here for much longer than I am.’

The AFZ activists say they are advocating for a boycott of Israeli products because Israel ‘thrives on international support’.

But critics say that groups like these may actually encourage antisemitism – or leave Jewish people frightened if they are confronted on their own doorsteps.

Resident Sally Campbell, whose mother was a Jewish refugee, was passing by when she saw the protest outside Sainsbury’s supermarket.

She said: ‘I wouldn’t want someone knocking on my door. I think it’s intimidating and I can choose what and where I buy from.’

Mark Birbeck, founder of ‘Our Fight’ – a group said to be reclaiming Bristol’s streets from the targeted harassment of Jews – told the Daily Mail the door knocks were a ‘purity test’.

Mark Birbeck, founder of ‘Our Fight’ – a group said to be reclaiming Bristol’s streets from the targeted harassment of Jews – told the Daily Mail the door knocks were a ‘purity test’

Pro-Israel protester outside of the Golden Lion pub in Horfield Bristol

The AFZ activists say they are advocating for a boycott of Israeli products because Israel ‘thrives on international support’

Chants of ‘Palestine will be free’, ‘ Israel is a terror state’ and ‘occupation no more’ were met with shouts of ‘stop the Jew hunt’

Police standing outside of the Golden Lion pub in Horfield Bristol, where pro-Palestinian protesters had gathered

He said: ‘People are organising activities where they knock on doors of local residents and ask people where they stand on Israel and Gaza. This is not just collecting information about where people stand, it’s a purity test.

‘We didn’t oppose marches in London. We’re not against freedom of speech but we think this is harassment.’

He said the attacks in Bondi Beach and Manchester showed the rise of antisemitism and that he himself had been spat on and punched.

Alison Wren, 79, a retired science teacher, is not Jewish but wanted to speak out against harassment of the Jewish community in Bristol.

She said: ‘It’s just ridiculous, knocking on people’s doors and writing down whether they agree to boycott Israel.’

The group says it is expressing solidarity with Palestinians who have been killed and displaced in Gaza, taking inspiration from the Anti-Apartheid Movement that targeted South Africa in the latter half of the 20th century.

The Daily Mail spoke to pro-Palestine supporters, who said they were not antisemitic but simply against genocide in Gaza.

Law student Leo Hill, who made it clear he was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of AFZ, said: ‘It’s not hateful, it’s not anti-Jewish, it’s not even anti-Israel. It’s just about having a heart – standing against genocide and apartheid.’

Another pro-Palestine supporter called Ryan, who also clarified he was not speaking as a member of AFZ, said: ‘I think you should separate state from religion. I understand the historical fear and antisemitism is a horrible thing.’

He said there were large groups of Jewish people supporting Palestine and the actions of the Israeli government should be viewed separately from the actions of Jewish people as a whole.

Law student Leo Hill, who made it clear he was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of AFZ, said: ‘It’s not hateful, it’s not anti-Jewish, it’s not even anti-Israel. It’s just about having a heart – standing against genocide and apartheid’

The group says it is expressing solidarity with Palestinians who have been killed and displaced in Gaza, taking inspiration from the Anti-Apartheid Movement that targeted South Africa in the latter half of the 20th century

One member of the counter protest got up close to the faces of AFZ campaigners, shouting ‘f*ck you’ and ‘show us your faces’. He added they were using phones with Israeli technology

The Daily Mail spoke to pro-Palestine supporters, who said they were not antisemitic but simply against genocide in Gaza

One pro Palestine supporter called Ryan, who also clarified he was not speaking as a member of AFZ, said: ‘I think you should separate state from religion. I understand the historical fear and antisemitism is a horrible thing’

One member of the counter protest got up close to the faces of AFZ campaigners, shouting ‘f*** you’ and ‘show us your faces’. He added they were using phones with Israeli technology.

A police officer took him aside to calm the situation.

People passing by and witnessing the unfolding events said there was a lot shouting and not enough conversation.

Passerby Jasmine Frank said: ‘I came here to learn about these issues. People are shouting and I don’t know how this is supposed to help peace.’

WASHINGTON — With the last remaining Israeli hostage finally returned home, the real work of rebuilding Gaza is now beginning, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee exclusively told The Post.

“It’s just now really starting to take hold. Things will start moving much more rapidly now that the hostages are back,” he said. “Quite frankly, the Israelis were in no mood to start building a new life for people in Gaza until Hamas was finally held responsible for the last of the hostages.”

Israel on Jan. 26 recovered Israeli police officer Ran Gvili’s body, which Hamas had taken to Gaza after killing him on Oct. 7, 2023. With that final return, Huckabee said, Gaza is entering a new and daunting phase: the slow, incremental resurrection of a territory left in “absolute ruins” after years of war.

“This isn’t going to be an event; it’s going to be a process,” he said. “People will begin to move out of areas that are really dangerous — the red zones — into the green zones. Housing is being constructed. Utilities will be restored.”

Materials and now flowing into the territory with the first steps involving the installation of pre-fabricated homes “so people can start a new life and maybe have a future in Gaza,” he said.

“People will be able to access not just housing, but utilities that work — rebuilding a society pretty much from the rubble of a war that never should have lasted this long,” he said.

“Rebuilding from scratch”

Huckabee cautioned that the rebuild won’t be an overnight fix; the extent of the destruction could stretch out the timeline — especially depending on global commitment and funding.

“We’re talking years,” Huckabee said. “It could be two, three years. It could be 10 years. A lot of it depends on how many nations actually step up.”

Oversight of Gaza’s reconstruction will fall to a technocratic governing committee tasked with the gritty, real-world work of restoring Gaza’s infrastructure.

“This is the heavy lifting,” Huckabee said. “Electricity. Water. Sewer. Roads. Cell towers. Internet. These are not political appointees looking for an office and a badge — these are people with real skills who know how to make things work.”

Most of the technocrats, he said, will come from Arab and Muslim states in the region, chosen for technical expertise rather than politics.

“If you’re rebuilding a society from scratch, you need people who actually know how to run things,” Huckabee said. “You need people who can build sewer systems, water systems, power grids, communications networks.”

The committee falls under President Trump’s international “Board of Peace,” which Huckabee said is focused more on the funding and enforcement of standards. To date, the board’s members include 25 member states — but European Union countries have so far refused to sign on.

“I find it interesting that some of the nations that criticized Israel the most — saying they weren’t doing enough humanitarian work — you’d be hard pressed to find them doing the heavy lifting right now,” Huckabee said. “A lot of them have talked. They haven’t walked.”

A central responsibility of the group will be ensuring Hamas or other extremist networks do not infiltrate the reconstruction effort — whether through aid groups, contractors, or payrolls.

“You’ve got to make sure the people getting paychecks and doing the rebuilding don’t have ties to terrorists,” he said. “Israel has been through too much to be careless about that.”

Beyond rebuilding streets and buildings, Huckabee said Gaza must undergo a deeper transformation — including a complete overhaul of an education system he said has fueled hatred for decades.

“Education will be restored to something that no longer incites children to hate Jews or want to kill them,” he said. “That’s been part of the curriculum in Gaza for over 20 years. That’s got to stop. And it’s going to stop.”

A brighter future

Looking ahead, Huckabee pointed to Jared Kushner’s ambitious vision of transforming Gaza’s Mediterranean coastline into a thriving economic and tourism hub — a future he said investors are beginning to take more seriously as stability improves.

“People have scoffed at that vision,” Huckabee said. “But we’re in a very different place than we were a month ago. A year from now, we’re going to be in a much better place.”

He argued Gaza’s collapse was not inevitable — saying it could have become a Middle Eastern success story decades ago if not for Hamas’ grip on power.

“Gaza could have been Singapore,” Huckabee said. “Instead, they turned it into Haiti.”

To underscore the scale of Hamas’ militarization, he described Gaza as small in size but hollowed out by terror infrastructure beneath the surface.

“All of Gaza is about the size of Las Vegas,” Huckabee said. “And underneath it is a tunnel system larger than the London Underground — more than 500 miles — not to get kids to school or people to hospitals, but to shelter terror activity and hide hostages.”

Much of that underground tunnel system was destroyed in the war — along with most everything that sat above it outside of Gaza City, making the rebuild process exceedingly daunting.

“We’re rebuilding a society pretty much from the rubble of a war that never should have lasted this long,” Huckabee said, placing full responsibility for the war’s length on Hamas dragging out the conflict.

“I hope people never forget why this lasted this long,” he said. “It lasted this long because Hamas refused to let the hostages go. They held on and held on — killing people, torturing people, raping hostages, starving hostages.”

But with the war’s end and hostages now home, Huckabee said Gaza’s rebuild is finally moving in the right direction.

“It’s a gargantuan undertaking,” he said. “But we are in a better place than we were a week ago, two weeks ago, a month ago — and it’s moving forward.”