A federal judge on Wednesday instructed the Trump administration to provide the legal justification for its plan to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist whom the government claims poses a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests.

District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz, based in Newark, New Jersey, ordered the administration to present a catalogue of every case in which U.S. officials have applied the law being used against Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University.

The judge also requested specific details behind U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assessment of the risks posed by Khalil’s presence in the U.S. The government was given until 1:30 PM on Thursday to respond.

The Department of Justice did not immediately comment on the matter.

Al Jazeera.