A judge in Newark rejected the Justice Department's second attempt to move Mahmoud Khalil's deportation case out of New Jersey.

The ruling means the Columbia student's fate will be decided here. Khalil led pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

The White House sought to shift his case to Louisiana for an easier deportation. He faces no criminal charges and is married to a U.S. citizen.

Khalil has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for nearly a month - arrested in Manhattan and then jailed in Elizabeth.