Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist who was detained for more than three months earlier this year, has filed a claim seeking $20 million in damages from the Trump administration, alleging that he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and publicly smeared as an anti-Semite as part of a politically motivated effort to silence his activism.
According to The Associated Press, the filing is a precursor to a potential federal lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows individuals to pursue damages for harm caused by federal officials acting unlawfully. Khalil told the outlet that he would accept, in lieu of monetary damages, an official apology and the abandonment of the administration’s policies that he alleges target pro-Palestinian speech.
