Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian demonstrator targeted by the Trump administration, and other former Columbia University student activists are suing their alma mater over its alleged indifference to harassment they faced there.
The lawsuit filed Monday alleges Columbia violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act when dealing with incidents against the Palestine Working Group (PWG), an organization the university suspended indefinitely in May 2025.
Khalil, who previously led the student group, was the first in a concerted campaign by the Trump administration to attempt to deport pro-Palestinian foreign students. He was arrested in March 2025 and held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for months.
Khalil is still fighting the Trump administration’s deportation efforts and has taken his appeals to the Supreme Court after a circuit court ruled a federal judge did not have the ability to bar the Trump administration from deporting him.
The lawsuit is looking to force Columbia to reinstate PWG, take greater action against anti-Muslin discrimination, allow Khalil back on campus and pay monetary damages.