According to the judge, the government's claim that Khalil's stay in the country can have "potentially serious foreign policy consequences" is sufficient reason. The Trump administration has, according to the judge, presented "convincing evidence".
Mahmoud Khalil, raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, has a residence permit in the USA and is not suspected of any crime. He was detained by the authorities on March 8 and placed in a detention center in another part of the country, Jena in Louisiana, far from his wife and lawyers.
During last year's pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, he acted as an intermediary between the activists and the university's management.
The White House claims that Hamas propaganda was distributed at protests arranged by Khalil.
According to the man's lawyers, he has been selected to set an example and restrict freedom of expression.
The Louisiana judge's decision can be appealed. A judge in New Jersey has simultaneously temporarily stopped the possibility of deportation.
