Ivy League, pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil will likely be retaken into custody and deported to Algeria, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

"It looks like he’ll go to Algeria," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNation on Wednesday. “That’s what the thought is right now.”

The Trump administration has sought to deport Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, over pro-Palestinian protests that he helped organize in 2023, after Israel retaliated in Gaza against Palestinian-backed Hamas for its terror attack.

The Syrian-born Khalil, a green card holder, has challenged the administration's efforts to deport him, with his attorneys saying such a move would violate the Constitution. 

“It’s a reminder for those who are in this country on a visa or on a green card," McLaughlin also said about the Khalil deportation effort. "You are a guest in this country – act like it. ... It is a privilege, not a right, to be in this country to live or to study.”

Last week, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that released Khalil from an immigration jail, bringing the government closer to detaining and ultimately deporting Khalil.

Khalil's legal team did not immediately respond to NewsNation's request for comment.

Khalil was first arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March, as the administration cracked down on pro-Palestinian activists during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

According to the administration, Khalil supports Hamas, and lied on documents as he applied for permanent U.S. residency.

Khalil denied that he supports violence at a rally in June.