A federal judge in New York ordered the case of Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil be transferred from New York to New Jersey where his lawyers will continue their legal efforts for his release.

A New York federal judge transferred Khalil’s petition to New Jersey, where the court will determine whether to order Khalil’s release from an ICE detention center in Louisiana. The government previously argued that the New York court didn’t have jurisdiction over Khalil’s case.

Judge Jesse Furman denied the Trump administration’s request to throw out Khalil’s case, as the permanent resident—a leader in Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian protests—argues he was unlawfully arrested and detained for voicing pro-Palestinian views.

A Manhattan federal judge denied the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss Khalil's challenge to his arrest but allowed the case to move to New Jersey.

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University Palestinian graduate student who the Trump administration is seeking to deport for his role in pro-Palestinian protests, called himself a political prisoner on Tuesday,