() A Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, who spent more than three months in immigration detention, has filed a $20 million claim against the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted for his role in campus protests.
Khalil, 30, a recent Columbia University graduate student, filed the Federal Tort Claims Act precursor Thursday through his attorneys, naming the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the State Department.
The filing accuses President Donald Trump and other officials of mounting an illegal campaign to “terrorize him and his family” following his March 8 arrest by plainclothes federal agents outside his Manhattan apartment.
Khalil was detained for 104 days at an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana, missing the birth of his son Deen in New York. He was released June 20 after a federal judge found the government’s efforts to remove him on foreign policy grounds were likely unconstitutional.
“They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” Khalil said. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”
The Trump administration publicly celebrated Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it dubbed “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.” Khalil has condemned antisemitism and was not accused of any crime or linked to terror groups.
During detention, Khalil said he was denied ulcer medication, forced to sleep under harsh fluorescent lights and fed “nearly inedible” food, losing 15 pounds.
A memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged Khalil hadn’t broken the law but argued he should be deported for beliefs that could undermine U.S. foreign policy interests.
“My beliefs are not wanting my tax money or tuition going toward investments in weapons manufacturers for a genocide,” Khalil said.
In an emailed statement, Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, called Khalil’s claim “absurd,” accusing him of “hateful behavior and rhetoric” that threatened Jewish students. The State Department said its actions were fully supported by law.
Khalil now faces new allegations of misrepresenting details on his green card application. His attorneys described those charges as baseless and retaliatory in a motion filed Wednesday.
The deportation case continues through the immigration court system. Khalil said he plans to share any settlement money with others targeted in what he called Trump’s “failed” effort to suppress pro-Palestinian speech.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
