Attorneys for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the Trump administration, alleging that the Palestinian activist was falsely imprisoned.
The former Columbia University student, who was recently released after more than three months in a federal detention center, is seeking $20 million in damages, which he says he would use to assist others targeted by Trump’s crackdown. Khalil says he would accept an apology and an end to the policy instead of a payment.
“The Trump administration’s unconstitutional targeting of Mr. Khalil led to severe harms that he continues to navigate, including financial loss, reputational damage, and emotional distress,” said Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) lawyer Samah Sisay. “Mr. Khalil will never get back the three months stolen from him while in immigration detention, including his child’s birth and first months of life. The government must take accountability for their unlawful actions and compensate Mr. Khalil for his suffering.”
The filing accuses the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the State Department of malicious prosecution, false arrest, false imprisonment, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“This is the first step towards accountability. Nothing can restore the 104 days stolen from me,” said Khalil in a statement. “The trauma, the separation from my wife, the birth of my first child that I was forced to miss. But let’s be clear, the same government that targeted me for speaking out is using taxpayer dollars to fund Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
“There must be accountability for political retaliation and abuse of power,” he continued. “And I won’t stop here. I will continue to pursue justice against everyone who contributed to my unlawful detention or spread lies in an attempt to destroy my reputation, including those affiliated with Columbia University. I’m holding the U.S. government accountable not just for myself, but for everyone they try to silence through fear, exile, or detention.”
In an emailed statement to the Associated Press DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin called the lawsuit “absurd” and accused Khalil of “hateful behavior and rhetoric” that threatened Jewish students.
Khalil worked as a mediator between students and the Columbia University administration during the campus protests over the Gaza genocide. He was arrested by federal agents on March 8 and transported to a detention facility in Louisiana. His green card and visa were revoked.
The Trump administration claimed that Khalil’s Palestine activism was “antisemitic” and threatened U.S. foreign policy objectives, but in a memo, Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that he had broken no laws.
Last month, federal judge Michael E. Farbiarz ordered Khalil to be released while his case proceeded.
“We know this ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others the government is trying to silence for speaking out against Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians,” said Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla in a statement after his release. “But today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family, and the community that has supported us since the day he was unjustly taken for speaking out for Palestinian freedom.”
Earlier this week, a senior ICE official revealed that the Trump administration relied on the shadowy doxxing site Canary Mission to compile a list of student protesters to target for deportation.
