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
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."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
-
‘The West needs people’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Filing statuses: What they are and how to choose one for your taxesThe Explainer Your status will determine how much you pay, plus the tax credits and deductions you can claim
-
Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency – an ‘engrossing’ exhibitionThe Week Recommends All 126 images from the American photographer’s ‘influential’ photobook have come to the UK for the first time
-
700 ICE agents exit Twin Cities amid legal chaosSpeed Read More than 2,000 agents remain in the region
-
Is the Gaza peace plan destined to fail?Today’s Big Question Since the ceasefire agreement in October, the situation in Gaza is still ‘precarious’, with the path to peace facing ‘many obstacles’
-
House ends brief shutdown, tees up ICE showdownSpeed Read Numerous Democrats joined most Republicans in voting yes
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
-
‘My donation felt like a rejection of the day’s politics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Minneapolis: The power of a boy’s photoFeature An image of Liam Conejo Ramos being detained lit up social media
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
