Why is pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil suing Columbia University?
Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia University and its dean for alleged institutional racism targeting pro-Palestine students.
Pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, whom the authorities attempted to deport from the United States after he led a 2024 encampment protest against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, is suing Columbia University and a dean for “institutional racism” against Palestinian students.
Late last month, a federal judge ruled against his deportation, finding that the Trump administration had violated the constitutional rights of international students when it sought to punish them, including Khalil, for criticising Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The lawsuit is being brought in collaboration with the Palestine Working Group (PWG), a student organisation at the university advocating for Palestinian rights, whose activities were indefinitely suspended by the management.
Announcing the lawsuit, Khalil said: “Columbia laid the groundwork for my targeting by the Trump administration through its deliberate indifference and discrimination aimed at intimidating Palestinian students.