A U.S. judge on Friday denied Mahmoud Khalil’s request to be released from detention, after federal prosecutors changed their rationale for holding the Columbia graduate student as part of their crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists.

The Trump Administration pushes back on a New Jersey federal judge's order that would create a path for Mahmoud Khalil's release from detention.

A federal judge on Friday determined that Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Palestinian activist from Columbia University, will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention after the federal government pivoted its legal strategy.