Previously Detained Columbia Graduate Now Seeks Big Payday From Trump Admin

A college graduate student accused of pro-Hamas activism is seeking millions from the Trump administration weeks after being released from an 🛂Immigration detention center.

Mahmoud Khalil — a Syrian-born Palestinian activist who became the face of anti-Israel demonstrations that rocked Columbia University’s campus throughout 2024 — is suing the Trump administration for $20 million for his arrest and months-long detention by federal 🛂Immigration authorities, according to the Associated Press (AP). Khalil’s lawyers filed his claim Thursday, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and wrongly labeled as an anti-semite as the Trump administration sought to remove him from the country.

“I cannot describe the pain of that night,” Khalil said to the AP, speaking of his time in 🛂Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. “This is something I will never forgive.”

Khalil reportedly plans to share any settlement money with other anti-Israel activists who’ve been targeted by the Trump administration. He also says he’d accept a formal apology and reforms to the White House’s deportation policies in lieu of a multi-million dollar settlement.

The lawsuit targets ICE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and also the State Department.