A US immigration judge has ruled that the student, Mahmoud Khalil, who led pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York last year, can be deported.

Mr. Khalil has been in custody since March 8th, when he was told by US immigration officers he was being deported for taking part in campus protests against the war in Gaza and the university's investment ties to Israel.

His legal team accused the US government of trying to silence people over speech it doesn't support.

Here's Mr. Khalil's lawyer speaking late last month.

This is a case where the United States government has created a policy targeting Palestinian activists and specifically Mahmoud Khalil for arrest, detention, and potential removal because the United States government disagrees with his constitutionally protected right to dissent from US foreign policy.

Well, this all comes as universities are coming under increasing pressure by the Trump administration as it seeks to reshape the higher education system.

Latest developments on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration is looking into an arrangement that would put Columbia University under a consent decree, which would legally bind the school to follow federal guidelines in how it combats anti-Semitism.

The university has already agreed to some of Trump administration's demands for reforms after it pulled $400 million in federal grants and contracts over allegations of anti-Semitism.

It's important to say that Columbia University isn't alone here in the in March, the Trump administration sent letters to 60 higher education institutions.

It said were facing potential enforcement actions for what it described as a failure to protect Jewish students on campus.

Earlier this week, the White House announced it was freezing more than $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell University and almost $800 million for Northwestern University while it investigates alleged civil rights violations.