Meet Jamee Comans, judge who allowed Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil's deportation

Immigration judge Jamee Comans on Friday ruled against Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil

Updated on: Apr 12, 2025, 02:20:45 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Immigration judge Jamee Comans on Friday ruled against Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, allowing the Trump administration to deport the graduate. His legal team has been given a little under two weeks to respond.

A judge allowed Trump administration to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist (REUTERS)

Comans cited a 1952 law that allows the Secretary of State to expel noncitizens deemed to pose ‘potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences’. She stated she lacked authority to overrule the Secretary’s determination, though she gave Khalil’s legal team until April 23, 2025, to seek relief from deportation.

The ruling comes after Khalil was arrested on March 8. He has been in a Louisiana detention center for over a month. The Columbia activist's arrest triggered several protests across university campuses.

Who is Jamee Comans?

Jamee E Comans is an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge based in Louisiana, appointed to her role in January 2023 by the US Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. She oversees immigration cases, including high-profile ones like that of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in 2005 from St Leo University and a Juris Doctorate in 2008 from Mississippi College School of Law. From 2021 to 2022, she was an Immigration Judge at LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana. Between 2018 and 2021, she held the position of Deputy Chief Counsel for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Jena and Oakdale, Louisiana. From 2012 to 2018, she was Assistant Chief Counsel for OPLA, ICE, in Memphis, Tennessee. Earlier, from 2009 to 2012, she worked as an Associate Attorney at the Law Offices of Matt Greenbaum LLP in New Orleans. Comans also served in the US Navy Reserve from 2001 to 2022. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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