A federal judge in Texas denied a petition filed by a Palestinian Lebanese man held by U.S. immigration authorities, ruling that they can continue detaining him because deportation to Gaza or the West Bank through Israel remains possible.
According to court filings, Hassan Suleiman Khalaf, 45, is “a stateless Palestinian” who was “born and raised as a refugee in Lebanon” but immigrated to the United States from the United Arab Emirates with his wife and four children on a B-2 visitor visa in 2022. He overstayed that visit.
An immigration judge later determined “that the Emirati government ordered Khalaf removed because he provided money to persons or entities in Syria, which was then embroiled in a protracted civil war involving multiple terrorist organizations.”
According to a ruling by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas, Khalaf denied the allegations. He claimed that his brother-in-law made up the “lies” as revenge for a divorce and custody dispute. He said he left the UAE because his work visa there had expired.
Immigration authorities determined that Khalaf lied on his visitor application by claiming that he was employed.
After Khalaf allegedly attempted to purchase a firearm, he was taken into custody, and an immigration judge ordered him removed in September 2025.
The judge directed that he be sent to any country other than Lebanon that would accept him. “While Khalaf is a citizen of Lebanon, the immigration judge found that Khalaf qualified under the Convention Against Torture for withholding and deferral of removal to that country,” according to court filings.
The UAE declined to accept Khalaf, according to court records, which also noted that applications for his removal to the Gaza Strip or an Arab village in Judea and Samaria through Israel remain pending.
Khalaf claimed that his continued detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated due process because there was no likelihood of removal in the foreseeable future.
Hendrix rejected Khalaf’s claims on Wednesday, citing evidence that the U.S. government has recently deported Palestinians via Israel, and concluded that Khalaf’s removal is likely.
The judge also rejected arguments that regional instability, including the recent U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, undermined the likelihood of removal.
The ruling leaves Khalaf in ICE custody while U.S. authorities continue efforts to expedite his deportation.
