Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention

This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters

Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, who was released from ICE detention, speaks during a rally on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on June 22, 2025 in New York City.
Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student Khalil speaks during a rally on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on June 22, 2025, in New York City
(Image credit: Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images)

What happened

Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil Thursday began the process of suing President Donald Trump's administration for $20 million.

Who said what

The suit is "just the first step of accountability," Khalil told NBC News. The White House "has to pay for what it's doing against me or against anyone who opposes their fascist agenda." Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Khalil's suit was "absurd" and accused him of "hateful behavior and rhetoric."

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Any settlement won by Khalil "would be shared with others he claimed were targeted by the Trump administration's efforts to subdue pro-Palestinian speech," said Forbes. This is the "first damages complaint" brought by an individual targeted in the "crackdown" on noncitizen Gaza war protesters, the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing Khalil, said in a statement. Khalil's case, and the administration's "tug-of-war with courts" over his detention, "represents a historic test for immigrants' speech rights," said Axios.

What next?

Thursday's filing, officially a "notice of claim for damages," is the "precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act," said the AP. Khalil, who was released on bail after 104 days in ICE detention, said he would also accept an "official apology and abandonment of the administration's unconstitutional policy."

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.