New York, NY — Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force the Trump administration to release communications with a network of outside groups he says helped trigger his detention earlier this year. Khalil, a Columbia University student who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March and held for more than three months in Jena, Louisiana, before being released in June.
The lawsuit, filed with support from the Center for Constitutional Rights, argues that several anti-Palestinian organizations shared dossiers and unverified allegations with federal officials, and later publicly claimed credit for Khalil’s arrest. CCR lawyers say available evidence suggests the administration “acted on information and misinformation” provided by those groups in efforts to target student activists.
Khalil says groups carried out a months-long smear campaign designed to intimidate him and silence activism on campus. Betar USA, a far-right pro-Israel organization, reportedly placed Khalil on its “deport list” and claimed ICE was aware of his location. Days before the arrest, Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus and Columbia professor Shai Davidai publicly called for Khalil’s deportation.
As part of the lawsuit, Khalil seeks records of communication between federal agencies and groups including Canary Mission, Betar, Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus, Columbia Alumni for Israel, Middle East Forum, Shirion Collective, Capital Research Center and Camera. He is also pursuing documentation of any communications concerning other pro-Palestinian students detained this year.
Khalil previously filed a $20 million damages claim alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and government retaliation for his campus activism.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
