Anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20mn in damages from Trump admin for false imprisonment

Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, whose role in college campus protests against Israel over the Gaza War led to his detention for over three months in immigration jail, is now seeking $20 million in damages from the Trump administration. Khalil’s lawyers filed a claim on Thursday, alleging false imprisonment and malicious prosecution after his March arrest by federal agents.
Khalil, a legal US resident, said he suffered severe anguish in jail, and continues to fear for his safety. The government has accused him of leading protests aligned with Hamas, but has not provided any evidence of a link to the terror group

The lawyers allege that Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and smeared as an anti-semite as the government sought to deport him due to his active role in campus protests.

The filing, a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act, names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the state department.

Khalil, 30, was released from US immigration detention last month after having been held for more than three months due to his activism against Israel and Gaza War. He became one of the high-profile students arrested by the Trump administration for their pro-Palestinian activism on campus.

After his release, Khalil told reporters, “Although justice prevailed, it’s very long overdue and this shouldn’t have taken three months. I leave some incredible men behind me, over 1,000 people behind me, in a place where they shouldn’t have been.”

“Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this. That doesn’t mean there is a right person for this. There is no right person who should be detained for actually protesting a genocide,” Khalil told the Guardian.

Khalil told reporters he was looking forward to returning home to spend time with his infant son, who was born while he was detained.