Khalil is a nationally recognized formerly incarcerated advocate for criminal justice and deportation policy change. His advocacy work begun in 2010 shortly after his release from serving almost seven years in the New York State (NYS) prison system. Khalil currently serves as director of strategic partnerships at the Council on Criminal Justice. Most recently, he served as chief strategist at New Yorkers United for Justice, where he maintains the role of senior advisor. Khalil is also a lecturer at Columbia University School of Social Work, the nation's oldest school of social work, with roots extending back to 1898. In December 2014, he was one of two recipients to receive an Executive Pardon from NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo to prevent his deportation from the United States.Khalil graduated from the City University of New York (CUNY) Herbert Lehman College master's of social work (M.S.W.) program in May 2014, where he was awarded the Urban Justice Award for his work with underserved and marginalized communities that are negatively impacted by mass incarceration as well as poverty, high unemployment rates, lack of access to quality education, and other ineffective social "safety nets".