Detained activist and plaintiff in U.S. deportation cases
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to lift an injunction blocking several provisions of Trump’s March executive order on voting procedures, keeping a lower-court ruling in effect as the case moves to appeal. The decision comes as states race to adjust ahead of upcoming elections.
A US federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's March lawsuit accusing Harvard of ongoing Title VI civil rights violations, finding the cited incidents were "too isolated and episodic" to show institutional noncompliance. The government is assessing next steps; Harvard has not immediately commented. The suit had sought to reclaim billions in federal research funding.
A California judge has ruled that U.S. visa-revocation and deportation policies targeting noncitizen students for pro-Palestinian advocacy violate the First and Fifth Amendments. The decision follows a Boston ruling and underscores free-speech protections on campuses amid heated debate over Middle East coverage.
Mahmoud Khalil has filed a federal civil‑rights lawsuit against Columbia University, its trustees and the SIPA dean, alleging the university’s ‘‘deliberate indifference’’ allowed doxxing, harassment and a false narrative that helped prompt his 104‑day ICE detention in 2025. The suit asks to restore campus access, lift the Palestine Working Group suspension and seek damages.
Palestinian-born Salah Sarsour remains in the United States as a Chicago judge has ruled he is deportable on foreign policy grounds, while rejecting the claim that he lied on his green card application. Attorneys say appeals are likely; Sarsour warns deportation would end his life in the West Bank, and his case has drawn support from his mosque and rights groups.
A Kashmir-born filmmaker who sought asylum in the United States has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Washington Dulles International Airport. The advocate group Free Arfat Sheikh says he arrived in 2019 for graduate studies, sought asylum in 2020, and is currently held at a Virginia detention facility while a bond assessment and hearing proceed. ICE has not commented.
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has asked the US Supreme Court to overturn a 3rd Circuit ruling, seeking immediate judicial review of immigration-detention decisions tied to his pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The government argues detention aligns with policy interests; Khalil remains free as the case advances toward next-year arguments.