Prominent US lawmakers have joined a chorus of condemnation on the ongoing detention of Mahmoud Khalil after an immigration judge ruled that the Columbia University student can be deported on the grounds of threats to US national security, Al Jazeera reports.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the Trump administration’s detention of Khalil as an “attack on the First Amendment”, which guarantees freedom of speech.

“Mahmoud’s case is a litmus test for the right to free speech in our country. This ruling jeopardises dissent,” she said.

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez also labelled Khalil’s detention a “clear 1st Amendment violation”.

“I stand with Mahmoud, and anyone who cares about our constitutional rights should too,” she said.