A federal judge instructed the Trump administration on Wednesday to detail the legal precedent for its plan to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist whose presence in the country the government alleges could harm US foreign policy interests.
District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, ordered the administration to supply a catalog of every case in which US officials have employed the law being used against Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student.
The judge asked to know specifics behind US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination of the risks posed by Khalil's presence in the US He gave the government until 9:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT) on Thursday to respond.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.