Mahmoud Khalil isn’t just walking free — he’s fighting back with a \$20 million demand aimed squarely at the heart of the Trump administration. The Columbia University student and outspoken pro-Palestinian voice, who spent over 100 days in federal detention, has filed a formal claim accusing officials of false imprisonment and politically driven prosecution.
The legal salvo targets the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, alleging they abused their authority in a bid to silence dissent. Khalil’s team invoked a federal law that requires claimants to first seek redress from the government before marching into court. Now, the clock is ticking — officials have six months to answer.
Homeland Security brushed off the accusation as “absurd,” insisting they acted lawfully. But Khalil sees something more sinister: a calculated move to muzzle him over his politics. Arrested in March and held for months without criminal charges, he says the government’s justification — that his public support for Palestinian rights undermined U.S.-Israel relations — was simply cover for censorship.
“They wanted to make an example of me,” Khalil said in an interview. “Trump only listens when the cost gets too high. This is the bill.”
Though he’s demanding \$20 million, Khalil says he’d accept something more intangible but meaningful: a public apology, and a promise that political speech — especially in defense of Palestine — won’t be punished with jail cells or deportation orders.
Khalil was the first student swept up under Trump’s crackdown on Gaza war protesters, whom the former president publicly labeled “antisemitic.” Critics say his arrest blurred the line between genuine hate speech and constitutionally protected protest — and crossed it.
His case ignited a firestorm, drawing support from civil rights advocates who warned it signaled a dangerous trend: criminalizing speech critical of a U.S. ally.
A federal judge agreed. In June, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled that Khalil’s detention violated his First Amendment rights, ordering him released on bail while deportation proceedings continue.
Khalil’s message to the administration is simple: freedom isn’t a favor, it’s a right — and violating it comes with a price.
