A federal judge has halted the deportation of a Columbia University graduate student who was detained by immigration authorities for his participation in campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District of New York issued the order Monday as the government sought to deport Mahmoud Khalil after arresting him outside his apartment over the weekend.

The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and legal permanent resident of the U.S. who has played a prominent role in the Gaza protests at Columbia University, has alarmed civil rights groups.