Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and lawful permanent resident detained by immigration authorities since March, is due to appear at a pivotal immigration hearing Thursday that could determine his future in the United States.

The hearing comes as Khalil's wife says he was denied a contact visit with their newborn son.

NEW YORK–Columbia University’s acting president defended higher education and acknowledged the absence of Mahmoud Khalil during the school’s commencement ceremony, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside the school’s main gates.