Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has launched legal action against Trump administration officials, alleging they colluded with anti-Palestinian organisations that contributed to his arrest and subsequent detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Lawsuit and Allegations
Khalil, who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, filed the lawsuit demanding the Trump administration release communications with groups he claims orchestrated a "smear and harassment campaign" against him. The legal action seeks to uncover records that would reveal the extent of coordination between government agencies and these organisations.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, representing Khalil, states there is evidence indicating the Trump administration "acted on information and misinformation – provided by these groups in cracking down" on Khalil and other pro-Palestine activists. Several groups have reportedly boasted about sharing dossiers on Palestine activists with administration officials.
Targeted Campaign and Detention
Khalil's ordeal began when Betar USA – a far-right, pro-Israel group – included him on its "deport list" and publicly stated ICE knew his home address and whereabouts on social media platform X. The group claimed to have shared this information with Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In the days preceding Khalil's arrest, Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus called for his deportation in social media posts, as did Shai Davidai, a Columbia professor and advisory board member of the group. Khalil was subsequently detained in early March in the lobby of his Columbia building and held for over three months at an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana.
"For months, shady organizations and individuals carried out a smear and harassment campaign designed to intimidate and silence me," Khalil stated through the Center for Constitutional Rights. "The public deserves full accountability for every bad actor who helped make that possible."
Broader Implications and Legal Action
Khalil's case represents the first in a series of arrests targeting international student activists. His release in June marked one of several defeats for the administration, which had pledged to deport pro-Palestinian international students en masse. Three other students – Rümeysa Öztürk, Badar Khan Suri and Mohsen Mahdawi – were previously released while their immigration cases remain pending.
The lawsuit seeks communications between ICE, the Justice Department, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security with several organisations including:
- Canary Mission
- Betar
- Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus
- Columbia Alumni for Israel
- Middle East Forum
- Shirion Collective
- Capital Research Center
- Camera
Adina Marx-Arpadi, an attorney and justice fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, emphasised: "Mr Khalil and the public at large have the right to know about the depth of the collusion between the federal government and the shadowy groups targeting people who speak out against a genocide."
Earlier this year, Khalil filed a separate claim for $20 million in damages against the administration, alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and being smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.
