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Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil files $20 million claim against Trump administration for false imprisonment
A former graduate student at Columbia University, Khalil was arrested on March 8 by plainclothes federal agents while returning from dinner with his wife.
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a $20 million claim against the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and defamed in what he calls a politically motivated attempt to deport him for his pro-Palestinian activism.
The legal claim, filed on Thursday under the Federal Tort Claims Act, names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the State Department.
It is a precursor to a possible lawsuit and comes as Khalil’s deportation case remains active in US immigration court, the Associated Press reported.
“I cannot describe the pain of that night,” Khalil told the agency, recalling his time in a freezing Louisiana immigration jail while awaiting news of his son’s birth in New York.
A former graduate student at Columbia University, Khalil was arrested on March 8 by plainclothes federal agents while returning from dinner with his wife. He has alleged they refused to show a warrant and appeared unaware that he was a legal US permanent resident.
He was then flown overnight to an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana, a remote jail that, he said, was deliberately kept hidden from his family and legal counsel.
Khalil alleges poor jail conditions led to 7kg weight
Khalil alleged he was denied ulcer medication, forced to sleep under harsh fluorescent lights, and served food he described as “nearly inedible,” resulting in a 7kg weight loss during detention.
“I cannot remember a night when I didn’t go to sleep hungry,” he said.
During this period, Trump officials reportedly celebrated his arrest and publicly framed campus protests such as Khalil’s as “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”
Khalil, who has consistently condemned antisemitism, was never charged with any crime and denies any connection to Hamas or other terrorist groups.
He said he later learned from a fellow detainee that his face was being shown on a TV screen inside the facility. A memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that Khalil had broken no laws but claimed his views could undermine US foreign policy, grounds cited for his deportation, the report mentioned.
“My beliefs are not wanting my tax money or tuition going toward investments in weapons manufacturers for a genocide,” Khalil said. “It’s as simple as that.”
While in detention, Khalil said he gained popularity among fellow detainees by holding informal “office hours” to help with legal paperwork, drawing from his previous diplomatic work in Beirut.
“I’m pretty good at bureaucracy,” he said.
He also recalled spending nights playing Russian and Mexican card games, listening to stories from detainees who, he said, were often unaware of their rights.
“This was one of the most heartbreaking moments. People on the inside don’t know if they have any rights,” he added.
On June 20, a federal judge ordered Khalil’s release after 104 days, ruling that the government’s attempt to deport him on foreign policy grounds was likely unconstitutional.
Khalil now faces new allegations of misrepresenting information on his green card application. His lawyers have called the claims “baseless and retaliatory” and filed a motion on Wednesday seeking to dismiss them.
Since his release, Khalil said he avoids large crowds and seldom leaves home, concerned about further harassment or arrest. However, the news report mentioned that he spoke with joy about watching his 10-week-old son Deen take his first swim.
“It was not very pleasant for him,” he said, smiling.
“I’m trying as much as possible to make up for the time with my son and my wife,” he added, “as well as thinking about my future and trying to comprehend this new reality.”
With AP inputs
