New Delhi, April 12 -- A US immigration judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can deport Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil.

The ruling by Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana does not mean Khalil would be immediately removed from the country

But it represented a significant victory for the Republican president in his efforts to deport foreign pro-Palestinian students who are in the United States legally and, like Khalil, have not been charged with any crime, Reuters reported.

Khalil's lawyers are expected to appeal. The judge gave his lawyers until 23 April to appeal against the order.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, is a pro-Palestinian (or anti-Israel) activist who ...