Story perspectives

Lawyers Seek Stay of Deportation Ruling for Mahmoud Khalil

By Drooid · Oct 20, 2026, 2:34 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Activist Mahmoud Khalil petitioned the Supreme Court to review his deportation.
His lawyers filed a Monday request to stay the 3rd Circuit’s June 2025 ruling.
The 3rd Circuit said district courts cannot weigh his detention under federal law.
A New Jersey judge released Khalil after 104 days, finding he posed no danger.
The Board of Immigration Appeals ordered his removal in April, exposing him to deportation to Algeria or Syria.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the 1996 AEDPA and IIRAIRA, eliminating statutory limits on detaining removable aliens—a practice contested since the Mariel boatlift Cubans. The Supreme Court’s 2001 Zadvydas v. Davis decision capped confinement at six months (about 180 days). That precedent now guides activist Mahmoud Khalil’s 2025 appeal after a 3rd Circuit ruling and a New Jersey judge’s 104-day release challenge.

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Story summary

Activist Mahmoud Khalil petitioned the Supreme Court to review his deportation.
His lawyers filed a Monday request to stay the 3rd Circuit’s June 2025 ruling.
The 3rd Circuit said district courts cannot weigh his detention under federal law.
A New Jersey judge released Khalil after 104 days, finding he posed no danger.
The Board of Immigration Appeals ordered his removal in April, exposing him to deportation to Algeria or Syria.

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