Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil sued Columbia University on Monday, alleging the university expressed “deliberate indifference” and failed to respond to instances of “severe, persistent, and coordinated harassment” toward Khalil and other students.

Khalil, a former graduate student who is suing alongside the university’s School of International and Public Affairs’ Palestine Working Group, alleged the university’s inaction ultimately led to his detainment in March last year and attempted deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Khalil missed the birth of his first child while he was in ICE custody hundreds of miles away in Louisiana.

The plaintiffs alleged that since the group’s creation in 2018, “its members have been antagonized and harassed without consequence because of their vocal support of Palestine, perceived shared Arab and/or Muslim ancestry, and status as non-citizens and/or immigrants.”

Instances of harassment cited in the lawsuit include doxxing by outside groups, facilitated by Columbia University students and faculty, and the false characterization and suspension of the student organization.

Khalil first sued the college last year for releasing his student disciplinary records to the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce shortly after he was detained. That case remains active.

Since President Donald Trump took office again in 2025, Khalil has become a key target of his administration’s crackdown on campus protests and immigration despite his permanent residency status as a green card holder. Columbia is one of several universities, including Harvard, Brown and Northwestern, among others, that the administration has attempted to withhold funding from or otherwise punish over what it says was their failure to protect Jewish ‌and Israeli students from antisemitism amid Israel’s war in Gaza. The schools have rejected that assertion.

Khalil is also actively fighting his deportation, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing him in federal and immigration courts. The ACLU won a stay in his federal case in May, blocking the government from detaining him again or deporting him while his case proceeds to the Supreme Court.

A Columbia spokesperson said the school would not comment on pending litigation.

“Creating a campus environment where every member of our community feels welcome, supported and safe is fundamental to who we are as a university. It is also a responsibility we take seriously,” spokesperson Millie Wert said.

“Columbia is committed to protecting our community from discrimination and harassment, and responding promptly and appropriately when concerns arise.”

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