New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- A Louisiana immigration judge has ordered the deportation of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to either Syria or Algeria, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle over free speech and immigration law. Khalil, a legal permanent US resident and former Columbia University graduate student, claims the move is a politically motivated attempt to punish him for his outspoken advocacy for Palestinian rights. His lawyers have vowed to appeal, warning that without swift federal intervention, Khalil could be removed from the country within weeks.

An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and legal permanent resident of the United States, to eithe...