A federal judge has denied the Department of Justice 's request to move Mahmoud Khalil 's case to Louisiana. Columbia University graduate Kahlil has been held in a detention facility in the southern state since he was arrested from his New York City home last month for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the legal battle over Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation should continue to play out in New Jersey, rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to transfer the Columbia University protester’s case to Louisiana.

Khalil's wife hailed the ruling as a crucial step toward her husband's freedom but noted that there is still much work to be done