JENA, La. (AP) — A Louisiana immigration judge ruled Friday that the U.S. can deport Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil based on the federal government’s argument that he poses a national security risk. Immigration Judge Jamee Comans made the determination at the end of a nearly two-hour hearing. Khalil can appeal the ruling.

The decision by a judge in Louisiana is an early victory for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but a broader challenge is still being heard in federal court in Newark.

A federal immigration judge on Friday ruled that Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil can be deported from the United States though he is a legal permanent resident.