Mahmoud Khalil never imagined that defending human rights would cost him the birth of his child.
The 30-year-old Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student spent 104 days in immigration detention earlier this year—jailed not for breaking the law, but, he claims, for speaking out. On Thursday, Khalil filed a $20 million legal claim against the Trump administration, accusing them of weaponizing immigration enforcement to silence his advocacy against Israel’s war in Gaza.
In his Manhattan apartment, Khalil now cradles his 10-week-old son, Deen—the child whose birth he missed while pacing a freezing ICE cell in Jena, Louisiana. “I cannot describe the pain of that night,” Khalil told reporters. “It’s something I will never forgive.”
The claim, a precursor to a federal lawsuit, was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act and names the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and the State Department. It alleges Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and smeared as antisemitic—part of what his legal team calls a political operation to “terrorize him and his family.”
Khalil, a lawful U.S. permanent resident, was returning home from dinner with his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, on March 8 when plainclothes federal agents allegedly detained him without presenting a warrant. He was flown overnight to Louisiana and held incommunicado from his lawyers and family.
“It was deliberate,” he said. “They wanted to disappear me.”
Khalil’s arrest came amid a Trump-administration crackdown on campus protests against U.S. support for Israel’s Gaza campaign. Khalil had helped organize several peaceful rallies at Columbia and spoken publicly about divestment from weapons manufacturers. He was never accused of committing a crime or of affiliation with any terror group. But a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio later cited Khalil’s beliefs as justification for his deportation, claiming they threatened “U.S. foreign policy interests.”
Inside the detention facility, Khalil said he was denied ulcer medication, fed inedible food, and subjected to harsh lighting 24/7. He lost 15 pounds. Despite this, he became a source of support for other detainees, hosting informal “office hours” to help with paperwork and translations.
After a federal judge ruled his detention likely unconstitutional, Khalil was released on June 20. But ICE quickly launched a new round of proceedings, now accusing him of misstating personal information on his green card application—charges his lawyers call “retaliatory and baseless.”
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, called the legal claim “absurd,” alleging Khalil engaged in “hateful behavior” that endangered Jewish students. Khalil vehemently denies the accusation. “I’ve condemned antisemitism repeatedly,” he said. “Criticizing a government for committing war crimes is not hate speech—it’s moral obligation.”
Khalil says he would settle for a formal apology and a commitment to abandon policies targeting pro-Palestinian voices. If any compensation is awarded, he plans to share it with other activists targeted for their speech. “They wanted to make an example of me,” he said. “Instead, I want to set a precedent for justice.”
The experience has reshaped Khalil’s life. He avoids large gatherings and walks with security. But he’s more committed than ever. “I’m trying to make up for lost time with my wife and son,” he said. “But I will not be intimidated into silence.”
His final message was simple: “This is not just about me. It’s about what kind of country we want to be.”