By Staff, Agencies

A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's cited foreign policy reasons were insufficient to justify the deportation or detention of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil.

Issued by US District Judge Michael Farbiarz of New Jersey on Wednesday, the preliminary injunction does not go into effect until Friday morning, giving the government a chance to appeal.

The ruling, however, deals a significant blow to the Trump administration's efforts to deport Khalil.

Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and a Palestinian activist who helped organize campus protests against "Israel’s" genocidal war in Gaza across the US last year, was arrested on March 8 in New York.

He has since been held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana. He is also a legal permanent US resident and previously served as a lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, CUAD.

The court's decision centers on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's assertions that Khalil's presence threatened key US foreign policy interests. While Judge Farbiarz had earlier suggested such deportation grounds might violate constitutional protections, he only formally blocked the action in Wednesday's ruling.

"The Court finds as a matter of fact that [Khalil's] career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled — and this adds up to irreparable harm," Farbiarz said.