Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil may continue to challenge the legality of his arrest by immigration authorities in New Jersey, rather than in Louisiana where he is being held, a U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday.

A federal district court declined to say whether the US government’s case against Mahmoud Khalil, the prominent pro-Palestinian activist detained by immigration officers, should be heard in New Jersey.

A federal court in Newark will determine whether the United States can deport Mahmoud Khalil in what could be a landmark case on civil rights.