Mahmoud Khalil columbia protest Trump immigration.

Attorneys for the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil have asked a federal judge to immediately release him on bail, or else transfer him to New Jersey, where he can be closer to his wife and newborn son. The filing comes days after a federal judge ruled that the government can continue to detain the legal U.S. resident based on allegations that he lied on his green card application. Khalil disputes the accusations that he wasn’t forthcoming on the application. The judge previously determined that Khalil couldn’t continue being held based on the U.S. secretary of state’s determination that he could harm American foreign policy.

A federal judge says the Trump administration can continue to detain Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil on allegations that he lied on his green card application. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz conceded in a brief filing Friday that the Republican administration can continue to hold the legal U.S. resident on those grounds since they were not addressed in his ruling earlier this week. The judge previously determined that Khalil couldn’t continue being held based on the U.S. secretary of state’s determination that he could harm American foreign policy. Khalil has been detained since March. He denies that he wasn’t forthcoming on the application.

A federal judge has ruled that the government cannot deport and must release Mahmoud Khalil, the student whom the Trump administration jailed over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University. But the legal U.S. resident will remain in custody until at least Friday, giving the government time to appeal, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz said. Khalil was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in New York and flown to an immigration detention center in Louisiana. Khalil’s lawyers say the Trump administration is trying to crack down on free speech. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he has the power to deport Khalil and that his presence in the U.S. could harm foreign policy.