Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released after spending 104 days in a detention center in Louisiana

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was released on Friday after spending three months in custody at a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana, following an attempt by the Trump administration to deport him over his participation in anti-Semitic protests at Columbia University.

The former graduate student and Columbia University alum left the federal facility on Friday and is now preparing to return to New York, where he will reunite with his wife, a U.S. citizen, and their newborn son.

“Justice prevailed, but it’s very long overdue,” Khalil said outside the detention center upon his release. “This shouldn’t have taken three months.”

The release comes after New Jersey federal judge Michael Farbiarz ordered the Palestinian activist’s release, following 104 days in custody.

Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, was arrested on March 8 of this year in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building for his key role in anti-Semitic protests on the university campus.

Khalil's lawyers had requested his immediate release on bail or, failing that, his transfer to New Jersey to be closer to his wife and newborn son.

Khalil's case is part of the measures pushed by the Administration of President Donald Trump for students who participated in university protests in opposition to Israel's war in Gaza.

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Khalil's continued presence in the country could be detrimental to U.S. foreign policy. In that regard, the secretary of state, pointed out:

“The foreign policy of the United States champions core American interests and American citizens and condoning anti-Semitic conduct and disruptive protests in the United States would severely undermine that significant foreign policy objective.”

However, Judge Farbiarz had previously determined that Khalil could not continue to be detained solely for this reason, although he initially allowed his detention based on allegations that Khalil had lied on his application for permanent residency, something the activist adamantly denies.

Khalil, a graduate student in international affairs, played a prominent role as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists during the protests at Columbia.

The Republican administration's fight against antisemitism

For its part, the Trump Administration has argued that non-citizens who participate in such protests should be deported, arguing that their views are anti-Semitic.

Khalil's lawyers, meanwhile, charge that his detention is an attempt by the Trump Administration to stifle free speech.

For his part, Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, had declared Khalil to be a "national security threat."

The border czar called Khalil "a threat to national security" while stating that to reside in the United States, one must abide by a set of rules.

"When you are on campuses -- I hear 'freedom of speech,' 'freedom of speech' -- can you stand in a movie theater and yell fire? Can you slander? Free speech has limitations," Homan said during an appearance.

"Coming to this country either on a visa or becoming a resident alien is a great privilege, but there are rules associated with that. You might have been able to get away with that stuff in the last administration, but not this administration."