Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia over ‘shocking’ disregard for safety of Palestinian students

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate and pro-Palestinian activist detained by ICE for more than 100 days last year, sued the university Monday, alleging its ‘deliberate indifference’ to a harassment and doxxing campaign against Palestinian students directly enabled his detention. The 60-page suit describes a truck circling campus displaying activists' photos and a website targeting them by name.

Khalil says Columbia instead retaliated, deploying surveillance, calling police onto campus during protests, and eventually suspending the Palestine Working Group, the advocacy group he belonged to. He was arrested by ICE in March 2025, missed the birth of his child in detention, and was later ordered released by a federal judge.

Khalil is seeking a court order, reinstatement of the suspended group, and damages, and says more litigation is coming against individuals at the school. Columbia declined to comment on the suit specifically but said it takes discrimination claims seriously.

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