Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia University for alleged failure to protect pro-Palestinian students

Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian student activist, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Columbia University in New York City. The lawsuit alleges that the university exhibited deliberate indifference, which led to the doxing of multiple group members and culminated in Khalil's March 2025 arrest by U.S. immigration agents in the lobby of his university residence.

Khalil became a central figure in a broader government crackdown on campus activism following his detention by immigration authorities. According to the legal filing, the institution failed in its duty to protect pro-Palestinian students from targeted harassment and the severe consequences that followed.