Mahmoud Khalil has sued Columbia University, alleging the school ignored coordinated harassment of pro-Palestine students and allowed false narratives about his role in campus protests to persist. He says that alleged inaction "directly led" to his 2025 detention and attempted deportation; Khalil spent 104 days in detention before a New Jersey judge ordered his release. A federal appeals panel later limited that release, ruling the immigration case must proceed through immigration courts. Khalil has also filed a separate suit accusing Trump administration officials and private pro-Israel groups of conspiring under the Ku Klux Klan Act.
Mahmoud Khalil Sues Columbia, Alleges University Ignored Harassment That Led to 2025 Detention
A man stands among demonstrators during an evening vigil near a university campus.
Anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a lawsuit against Columbia University, alleging the school ignored sustained harassment and surveillance of pro-Palestine students and failed to protect them from discrimination. Khalil contends that the university's inaction contributed directly to his detention and attempted deportation in 2025.
Mahmoud Khalil attends a vigil and protest for Gaza outside Columbia University in New York City, Oct. 7, 2025.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The complaint asserts that Columbia "fostered an environment of hostility towards students holding pro-Palestine views, who were perceived as being Muslims, Arabs, non-citizens, and/or immigrants, and others for their association with those students," citing treatment and surveillance of Khalil and other members of the SIPA Palestine Working Group. The filing accuses the university of "deliberate indifference" to "severe, persistent, and coordinated harassment" and of retaliating against students who reported that harassment.
Mahmoud Khalil took part in several anti-Israel protests at Columbia University after the Oct. 7 attacks.
"This case concerns Defendants' deliberate indifference towards and failure to respond to instances of severe, persistent, and coordinated harassment directed towards Mahmoud Khalil, Mohammad Ibrahim Zubairi, and other members of SIPA Palestine Working Group due to their pro-Palestine advocacy and affiliation, their perceived shared ancestry as Arab and/or Muslim students, their national origin, and/or their status as non-citizen immigrants..."
Timeline and Detention
Khalil, who participated in multiple demonstrations at Columbia following the Oct. 7 attacks, was arrested in 2025 at a university-owned apartment in New York City in connection with his campus activism. Homeland Security Investigations (a division of ICE) informed him that his permanent resident status was being revoked. He was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana and held for 104 days before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release.
Mahmoud Khalil alleged Columbia University's lack of response to "harassment" against him directly led to his detainment by the Trump administration.
The release was later constrained when a U.S. appeals panel, in a 2-1 decision, held that the immigration matter must proceed through the immigration court system before it could be reviewed in federal court.
Related Litigation
In July, Khalil filed an additional lawsuit alleging that members of the Trump administration conspired with private pro-Israel organizations—named in the complaint as the Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission and Betar—to target, arrest, and deport activists like him. That complaint invokes the Ku Klux Klan Act, alleging a coordinated effort to intimidate non-citizen Palestinians and pro-Palestinian supporters.
University Response
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Columbia University spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation but emphasized the university's commitment to preventing discrimination and harassment:
"Creating a campus environment where every member of our community feels welcome, supported, and safe is fundamental to who we are as a University. It is also a responsibility we take seriously. Columbia is committed to protecting our community from discrimination and harassment, and responding promptly and appropriately when concerns arise."
Current Status
Fox News Digital reported it reached out to Khalil's attorneys for comment but did not immediately receive a reply. The lawsuits remain pending and could prompt further legal and campus-policy scrutiny depending on court outcomes.
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