Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student known for leading anti-Israel demonstrations on campus, has filed a $20 million complaint against the Trump administration for what he calls “retaliatory and unconstitutional” detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Khalil was taken into ICE custody on March 8, 2025, after authorities cited national security concerns stemming from his leadership in campus protests that were accused of veering into open support for Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. He remained in ICE detention for more than three months until a federal judge ordered his release.
U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, a Biden appointee based in Newark, New Jersey, ruled in June that the government failed to provide sufficient legal justification for Khalil’s continued detention. Calling the case “highly, highly unusual,” Farbiarz criticized the government for holding Khalil for 104 days without clear cause.
Now, Khalil is seeking $20 million in damages from the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and ICE, alleging that his arrest was politically motivated and intended to punish him for exercising free speech.
“Officials at the highest levels of the United States government publicly lashed out at Mr. Khalil on social media, falsely labeling him a terrorist sympathizer and an antisemite — derogatory charges designed to destroy Mr. Khalil’s reputation, put him in physical danger and cause extreme emotional distress,” his complaint claims.
The complaint, filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, was submitted by the Center for Constitutional Rights, a left-leaning legal advocacy group. Khalil, who has become central in the ongoing national debate over campus free speech and antisemitism, claims he will use any awarded funds to help others who have been “similarly targeted” by federal immigration authorities.
Alternatively, Khalil says he would accept an official government apology and reversal of what he calls the administration’s “unconstitutional policy.”
The Department of Homeland Security rejected the premise of Khalil’s complaint.
“Mahmoud Khalil’s claim that DHS officials branded him as an antisemite and terrorized him and his family is absurd,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday. “He ‘branded’ himself as an antisemite through his own hateful behavior and rhetoric. It is a privilege to study in the United States — not a right — especially for those who exploit that privilege to sow division and promote extremism.”
Khalil rose to national attention during the height of anti-Israel protests that erupted across college campuses following the October 7th attack. While Khalil and his supporters insist the demonstrations were a form of protected speech, critics argue they crossed the line into open incitement and intimidation — particularly of Jewish students.
Although the protests themselves were not cited as a criminal offense, federal officials reportedly flagged Khalil for connections to organizations sympathetic to Hamas. The Trump administration has taken a more aggressive stance on campus activism that it views as radical or connected to foreign threats, particularly in the wake of unrest tied to pro-Hamas or anti-Israel rallies.
The outcome of Khalil’s complaint could have broader implications for the judiciary’s handling of immigration-related detentions and what constitutes retaliatory action for political speech.
If the case proceeds beyond the administrative stage, it could escalate into a high-profile legal battle testing the boundaries of national security, immigration law, and campus free speech.
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Hmm – ‘perhaps’ that judge ought to take a long hard look at all of the J6 ‘detainees’ who were held without ‘legal justification’ – and not just for days but for years. Oh never mind, look at who ‘appointed’ him, nothing to see here.