The Trump administration has sought to deport Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil for leading the pro-Palestinian protests and sit-ins at the Ivy League institution.

The social studies assignment allegedly portrayed the Columbia University graduate student as a "terrorism supporter."

Khalil filed a lawsuit, also known as a habeas petition, protesting his detention in New York. A New York judge previously ordered the case to continue in New Jersey because Khalil’s attorneys filed the petition while he was detained in New Jersey.

The decision offers a venue compromise in the bellwether case, while Khalil's legal team seeks to release him from detention and block his deportation.

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student the Trump administration is trying to expel from the U.S. because of his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests, appeared on

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a student facing deportation for pro-Palestinian activism, will be in New Jersey court today. Newsweek's live blog is closed.

A federal judge in New York ordered the case of Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil be transferred from New York to New Jersey where his lawyers will continue their legal efforts for his release.

The Trump administration has sought to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, though he is a legal permanent resident and has not been charged with a crime.