On a quiet afternoon in his Manhattan apartment, Mahmoud Khalil cradled his 10-week-old son, Deen, and reflected on the night of the baby’s birth — a night he spent pacing the cold halls of an immigration jail in Louisiana, far from his wife and newborn.
“I can’t describe the pain of that night,” Khalil said, his voice quiet as he looked down at his cooing child. “This is something I will never forgive.”
Now free after more than three months in detention, the Palestinian activist is seeking accountability. On Thursday, his legal team filed a $20 million claim against the Trump administration, alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and defamation in retaliation for Khalil’s prominent role in campus protests supporting Palestinian rights.
The claim — a required step before a federal lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act — names the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the State Department. His deportation case, meanwhile, remains ongoing in immigration court.
“They think they’re untouchable,” Khalil said. “Unless they’re held accountable, this kind of abuse of power will continue unchecked.”
Khalil, 30, a recent Columbia University graduate, says he intends to share any settlement with others who were targeted as part of what he calls Trump’s “failed attempt to silence pro-Palestinian voices.” Short of a settlement, he says he would accept a formal apology and systemic changes to deportation policies.
In response, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson dismissed the claim as “absurd,” accusing Khalil of engaging in “hateful rhetoric” that endangered Jewish students. The State Department said its actions were legally sound. ICE and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Arrested Without Warrant, Held in Harsh Conditions
The claim accuses Trump and federal officials of orchestrating a politically motivated campaign to “terrorize” Khalil and his family, beginning with his March 8 arrest.
That evening, Khalil was returning from dinner with his wife, Noor Abdalla, when plainclothes federal agents stopped him, allegedly without a warrant. “I was effectively kidnapped,” he said. The agents reportedly seemed unaware that Khalil was a lawful U.S. permanent resident.
He was transported overnight to a remote ICE detention center in Jena, Louisiana — a facility so isolated, his attorneys and family say, it was “deliberately concealed” from them.
Once inside, Khalil was denied ulcer medication, forced to sleep under bright lights, and given food he described as “barely edible,” resulting in a 15-pound weight loss. “I can’t remember a single night I didn’t go to bed hungry,” he said.
At the same time, the Trump administration touted his arrest publicly, vowing to deport him and others it labeled as “pro-terrorist” for their anti-Israel protests — despite Khalil having no criminal record and no known links to Hamas or any terror group.
“It became like a reality TV show,” Khalil said. “Completely absurd.”
Detained for His Beliefs
A few weeks into his detention, a fellow detainee pointed out Khalil’s face on a jailhouse TV broadcast. A new memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acknowledged Khalil had broken no laws — but argued his political views threatened U.S. foreign policy and justified his removal.
“My beliefs are simple,” Khalil said. “I don’t want my taxes or tuition funding weapons used for genocide.”
By then, Khalil had become a well-known figure inside the 1,200-person facility. Drawing on his experience at the British Embassy in Beirut, he began helping fellow detainees navigate immigration paperwork, find interpreters, and understand their rights.
“I’m pretty good at bureaucracy,” he joked. In quieter moments, he played card games and listened to other detainees’ stories. “Many of them had no idea why they were even locked up. That was heartbreaking.”
A Judge Orders His Release — But New Charges Emerge
On June 20 — 104 days after his arrest — a federal judge ordered Khalil’s release, ruling that the attempt to deport him based solely on his political beliefs likely violated the Constitution.
Since his release, however, new allegations have surfaced. Prosecutors now claim Khalil misrepresented information on his green card application — charges his attorneys call “retaliatory and baseless,” urging the court to dismiss them.
Despite enjoying long-awaited moments with his son and wife — including Deen’s first swim — Khalil says he’s still grappling with the trauma. He avoids large gatherings, rarely leaves home after dark, and worries constantly about surveillance or another arrest.
“I’m trying to make up for lost time with my family,” he said. “But I’m also trying to understand what my future looks like now.”
Refusing to Stay Silent
Khalil says his activism won’t stop. He remains vocal in his opposition to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which Gaza’s Health Ministry says has killed over 57,000 people, the majority of them women and children. The day after his release, Khalil led a protest march in Manhattan, wrapped in a Palestinian flag and flanked by private security.
As he prepared a bottle for Deen, he reflected on whether he would have done anything differently.
“Maybe we could have communicated more clearly, built more bridges,” he said. “But when it comes to standing against genocide, there’s no other way. That’s a moral obligation — even if it costs you everything.”
