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Federal Judge Upholds Family Unity, Blocks Trump Admin from Separating Detained Father and Infant-Detained Activist Mahmoud Khalid Embraces Newborn Son for First Time After Landmark Court Ruling
In an emotional turn of events that underscores a significant legal challenge to the Trump administration's policies, detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalid was finally able to hold his one-month-old son, Deen, for the first time on Thursday. The long-awaited contact came after a federal judge in New Jersey, Michael Farbiarz, intervened, blocking the Trump administration's efforts to keep the father and infant separated by a plexiglass barrier during family visitation, Daily Dazzling Dawn understands.
The case, which garnered national attention, saw Khalid's attorneys argue that the proposed "non-contact" visit amounted to political retaliation by the government. Department of Justice officials had opposed a "contact visit," stating that "Granting Khalil this relief of family visitation would effectively grant him a privilege that no other detainee receives," and that "Allowing Dr. Abdalla and a newborn to attend a legal meeting would turn a legal visitation into a family one.” However, Judge Farbiarz's order defied these objections, allowing the poignant family reunion to proceed.
Khalid's detention has been a point of contention, with civil rights organizations and legal experts asserting it's an attack on freedom of speech. He was arrested without a warrant, with agents citing orders from the State Department to revoke his student visa, and then his lawful permanent resident status. He was subsequently transported to LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana. An immigration judge in Louisiana had previously declared him deportable based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's assertion that his presence posed "adverse foreign policy consequence," a determination the judge stated she had no authority to question. A federal district court has issued a stay on his deportation while a separate case challenging the constitutionality of his arrest and detention is being considered.
The ruling comes amidst a broader legal landscape of ongoing challenges to the Trump administration's executive powers. Separately, the Supreme Court recently declined to reinstate independent agency board members Gwynne Wilcox of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Cathy Harris of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), who were fired by Donald Trump. The Supreme Court's action extended an order Chief Justice John Roberts issued in April, effectively keeping Wilcox and Harris out of their roles while legal proceedings challenging their firings continue. These firings without cause have sparked debate over the President's authority to remove officials from independent agencies, a long-held precedent affirmed by the 1935 Supreme Court decision in Humphrey's Executor v. U.S., which states that a president cannot remove members of quasi-judicial bodies at will.
In other news from the administration, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Bernie Navarro, the founder of the Miami lender Benworth Capital, will be the ambassador to Peru. Navarro is a known ally and donor to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Benworth Capital was reportedly sued last year by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
