Mahmoud Khalil Sues Trump Admin For a ‘Politically Motivated Plan’ to Arrest Him for His Pro-Palestine Beliefs

It’s been more than a year since Mahmoud Khalil—a U.S. green card holder and graduate of Columbia University—was arrested and detained without warrant by ICE in 2025, sent away to a facility in Louisiana more than 1,000 miles away, and forced to miss the birth of his son. On Tuesday, he filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing the government of a “politically motivated plan to unlawfully arrest, detain, and deport [him]” for standing up for Palestine.

“Nothing can restore the 104 days stolen from me,” Khalil wrote in an accompanying statement, calling the filing “the first step towards accountability.” “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.” 

Khalil was detained by ICE agents at the Columbia student campus in March 2025, in front of his then eight-month pregnant wife. Reportedly, agents approached him and told him the State Department had revoked his student visa, and while his wife went to their apartment to grab his green card, he called his lawyer on the phone. Upon the lawyer asking agents why he was being detained or if they had a warrant, the agents ended the call. Khalil was sent to a facility in Louisiana, known for human rights abuses, and during his detention he published in the Guardian a gut-wrenching open letter to his son.

“I will never forgive the actors that contributed to my missing the birth of my son, of Deen, because this shouldn’t happen,” Khalil told DemocracyNow!, during an interview about the lawsuit. “This shouldn’t happen to anyone, because I could have been next to my wife Noor when she was giving birth. Yet because of their arrogance, because of their cruelty, they chose not to let me next to my—be next to my family.” 

The lawsuit, which was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights in federal court, accuses senior officials in the administration of conducting a coordinated campaign with Heritage Foundation leaders, as well as Canary Mission and Betar, two surveillance companies with links to Israel.

And if the administration coordinated with such groups, the lawsuit argues, it would have been a “public-private partnership” that violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, which prohibits the government from working with outside groups. And, well, here’s the thing. Betar U.S. once openly took credit for Khalil’s arrest; both it and Canary Mission were identified by the Guardian in 2025 of having a “deportation list” that was shared with officials in the administration; and Project 2025, a conservative blueprint created by the Heritage Foundation, includes in its wicked mandate “Project Esther”—an initiative to target noncitizen, pro-Palestine activists, and smear them as being antisemites. 

Mahmoud Khalil has filed a claim against the Trump administration, seeking either $20 million or an official apology and change in the administration’s policy after he was held in detention for over 100 days. NBC News’ Maya Eaglin spoke to Khalil in New York City.

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— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) July 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM

 

This is for “accountability,” Khalil explained to DemocracyNow! “For decades, these groups grew too comfortable in targeting Palestinians and harassing Palestinians and blacklisting Palestinians and their supporters, because when they cannot win on the argument, they would rather silence us.” He added, “This is my message to them, that we will never be silenced, until Palestine is liberated.” He is seeking $20 million in damages.