Mahmoud Khalil Seeking $20 Million in Damages from Trump Administration

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil gives an interview, July 3, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is seeking $20 million in damages from President Donald Trump’s administration after months in custody.

Khalil was freed in June after a federal judge ordered his release. The 30-year-old — a graduate student at Columbia University — was first detained by federal agents in March for his alleged activities during campus protests. Although reporting at the time identified Khalil as a negotiator between the protestors and university officials, the Trump administration insisted he was engaged in pro-Hamas activities and even collaborated with the terrorist groups. When those claims proved to be unfounded, the administration then claimed Khalil’s presence threatened national security.

On Thursday, Khalil’s legal team filed a claim seek $20 million against the Trump administration, claiming Khalil was “falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an anti-Semite.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Khalil said he wants the administration to “feel there is some sort of accountability”:

The goal, Khalil said, is to send a message that he won’t be intimidated into silence.

“They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” Khalil said. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”

Should Khalil be awarded settlement money, the report continued, he intends to other activists who have also been targeted by Trump.