Cliff Notes
- Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, is suing the Trump administration for $20 million, alleging false imprisonment and malicious prosecution after being detained by ICE for over three months.
- Khalil described his detention experience as dehumanising, with poor conditions and no rights, and stated he was not informed of the reason for his arrest.
- The Trump administration had previously celebrated his arrest, labelling his activism against Israel as “pro-terrorist” and “anti-American”.
Palestinian activist detained by ICE suing Trump administration for $20m
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
The 30-year-old graduate student at Columbia University told Yalda Hakim being detained by ICE agents in March “felt like kidnapping”.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.