Lawsuit alleges Columbia indifference led to Khalil detention

Mahmoud Khalil spent 104 days in immigration detention beginning in March 2025. The former Columbia graduate student and campus protest spokesperson missed the birth of his child while detained and still faces an active deportation case. Khalil and other former student activists filed a lawsuit in federal court against Columbia University. The suit alleges the school failed to protect them from harassment, doxing and threats related to their pro-Palestinian advocacy and retaliated when they reported it. It claims Columbia’s deliberate indifference helped create conditions that contributed to Khalil’s detention and allowed false claims about him and other students to spread. Columbia declined to comment directly on the litigation but said it is committed to protecting its community from discrimination and harassment and responding appropriately to complaints.