NewzNEW YORK: Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil sued Columbia University on Monday, alleging it failed to address harassment against him and other members of a pro-Palestinian campus group and retaliated against them when they reported it. The university’s “deliberate indifference” led to the doxing of multiple group members and Khalil’s detention by immigration agents, according to the civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court in New York City. At a news conference announcing the lawsuit, Kh
Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian demonstrator targeted by the Trump administration, and other former Columbia University student activists are suing their alma mater over its alleged indifference to harassment they faced there. The lawsuit filed Monday alleges Columbia violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act when dealing with incidents against the Palestine Working... Civil rights lawsuit accuses university of 'deliberate indifference' that led to his own arrest by ICE agents and 'enabling peer-on-peer harassment' of other activists The post Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia for alleged failure to protect pro-Palestinian students appeared first on The Times of Israel.
Lawsuit accuses university of ‘deliberate indifference’ and failure to respond to ‘persistent and coordinated harassment’Mahmoud Khalil announced on Monday that he’s sued Columbia University, accusing the New York City school he attended of a years-long history of anti-Palestinian discrimination, indifference to harassment, and retaliation.Khalil, a US green card holder of Palestinian descent, was a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) when he was arrested at his university apartment by federal immigration agents in March 2025, the first of a number of foreign nationals that the Trump administration has detained and sought to deport over their pro-Palestinian advocacy. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil sued Columbia University on Monday, alleging it failed to address harassment against him and other members of a pro-Palestinian campus group and retaliated against them when they reported it. The university declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in an email that “creating a campus environment where every member of our community feels welcome, supported, and safe is fundamental to who we are as a University.” “Columbia is committed to protecting our community from discrimination and harassment, and responding promptly and appropriately when concerns arise,” it said.
Khalil also sued Columbia last year to block the release of student records to a congressional committee. A former graduate student at Columbia University, Khalil gained prominence as a spokesperson for student activists protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him at his campus apartment in March 2025, and he quickly became the face of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Khalil spent 104 days in a Louisiana immigration jail, missing the birth of his first child, before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release. His deportation case remains active. Khalil’s lawsuit says Columbia “refused to correct disinformation” about him while he was detained, “allowing a false narrative about his conduct and role to persist and further enabling peer-on-peer harassment of other Palestinian students and students with perceived shared Arab and/or Muslim ancestry.” Instead of investigating reports of harassment, the university retaliated by characterizing events by a pro-Palestinian campus group as security risks and revising disciplinary policy to target criticism of the Israeli government, according to the lawsuit.
It accuses Columbia of civil rights violations, requests a court order restoring Khalil’s access to the campus and ending the Palestinian group’s suspension, and seeks damages “to be determined at trial.” It also names the pro-Palestinian group and its president, Mohammad Zubairi, as plaintiffs. Mahmoud Khalil attends a vigil and protest for Palestine outside of Columbia University on Oct. The lawsuit accuses Columbia University of failing to address harassment and doxxing targeting Khalil and other activists.
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