Why Trump Is So Desperate to Keep Mahmoud Khalil in Louisiana

Ravi Ragbir , an activist in New York City , was targeted for deportation over his speech during the first Trump administration.

He won a ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 that affirmed noncitizens’ right to challenge deportations as unconstitutional retaliation under the First Amendment .

Like Khalil , he was quickly flown to a far-off detention center in Miami .

Ragbir was deported from New York to Haiti after a colleague was arrested at his home.

ICE took him to the hospital before driving him to Newark and putting him on a plane to Miami .

The government initially argued he was already out-of-state by the time a judge ordered he not be moved.

But after some cajoling by the judge, the government agreed to transfer him back to New York .

Mahmoud Khalil's case has sparked protests while sending a chilling message to pro-Palestinian activists.

The government has already indicated it will fight to keep Khalil away from New York , in briefs filed late Wednesday .

“This really comes down to instilling panic, fear, and chaos,” said Murad Awawdeh , president of the New York Immigration Coalition .