Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20 million from Trump administration over immigration arrest

His legal team challenges his 100-day detention as "politically motivated and unlawful"

Mahmoud Khalil speaks in an interview with Reuters in New York City, US, July 2, 2025. REUTERS

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist who was detained by US immigration authorities for more than 100 days, is seeking $20 million from the Trump administration over what he says was his false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

Khalil’s lawyers on Thursday said they submitted the claim against President Donald Trump's departments of Homeland Security and State under a law requiring people to seek damages directly from the government before they can file a lawsuit. Officials have six months to respond.

A DHS spokesperson called Khalil's claim "absurd" and said the Trump administration acted well within its legal authority to detain Khalil.

Khalil, a 30-year-old permanent US resident of Palestinian descent, was arrested in March and detained for months while the Trump administration sought to deport him, saying his support of Palestinians undermined US relations with Israel.

He was released on June 20 after an intense legal fight where his lawyers accused the Trump administration of unconstitutionally targeting him for political reasons.

"I hope this would serve as a deterrent for the administration," Khalil told Reuters on Thursday. "Trump made it clear he only understands the language of money."

Khalil said he would also accept an official apology and a commitment by the administration to no longer arrest, jail or seek to deport people for pro-Palestinian speech.

Trump, a Republican, has called protests against Israel’s war in Gaza antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part.

Khalil became the first target of this policy, and his case sparked outcry from pro-Palestinian and civil rights groups who said the government was wrongly conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

In June, US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey ruled that the Trump administration was violating Khalil’s constitutional right to free speech and ordered him released on bail while he continues to fight the government’s deportation efforts.