Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday accusing Trump administration officials and conservative organizations of a coordinated conspiracy to suppress pro-Palestinian advocacy and punish him for his activism.
The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court by the Center for Constitutional Rights, names senior government figures including Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, Markwayne Mullin, and Todd Blanche, alongside the Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission, and Betar as defendants. It alleges violations of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.
Khalil, 31 and a legal permanent resident, was arrested by ICE agents on March 8, 2025, and held for 104 days at a Louisiana detention center before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release in June 2025. The administration has alleged Khalil misrepresented information on his green-card application, including claimed ties to UNRWA. Khalil's suit frames his arrest as retaliation for his support of Palestinian rights.