Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Files $20 Million Complaint Against Trump Administration
Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Files $20 Million Complaint Against Trump Administration
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and prominent pro-Palestinian activist, has filed an administrative complaint against the Trump administration, seeking $20 million in damages or an official apology. The complaint, a precursor to a federal lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act, comes weeks after Khalil’s release on June 20, 2025, from over three months of immigration detention.
Khalil, 30, who was a key negotiator during Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian campus protests in spring 2024, alleges false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began in March 2025, with the Trump administration pushing for his deportation based on purported support for Hamas—a claim his legal team vehemently rejects.
Despite a federal judge in New Jersey issuing an order barring further detention or deportation on the basis cited by the State Department, the Trump administration continues its efforts to deport Khalil, a green card holder married to a U.S. citizen. The Center for Constitutional Rights, representing Khalil, stated that any awarded funds would aid others similarly targeted, or be forgone in exchange for an official apology and the abandonment of the administration’s ‘unconstitutional policy’.
Responding to the allegations, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the administration’s actions, stating they were within legal and constitutional authority. McLaughlin dismissed Khalil’s claims of being branded an antisemite, asserting, ‘It was Khalil who terrorized Jewish students on campus. He ‘branded’ himself as antisemite through his own hateful behavior and rhetoric.’
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