Mahmoud Khalil sues Trump officials and pro-Israel groups over ‘conspiracy’ to target him | Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmud Halil On Tuesday, he filed a lawsuit against Trump administration officials and several pro-Israel groups, accusing them of conspiring to target him and others as punishment for their support of Palestinian rights.
The former Columbia University graduate student became the face of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech after he was detained last year. Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident, is also fighting in court against government efforts to deport him.
casefiled by Center for Constitutional Rights On Khalil’s behalf, he alleges that the Trump administration coordinated with Betar and Canary Mission, two pro-Israel online surveillance groups, in selecting “conspiracy targets.”
“This case is much more than what was done to me. It is about a coordinated, ongoing campaign to punish, silence and intimidate anyone who dares to speak for the liberation of Palestine,” Khalil said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the lawsuit.
“This is about exposing the network of organisations, political actors and institutions that work together to criminalize solidarity with Palestine and set an example for those who refuse to remain silent.”
Betar USA has publicly claimed responsibility for Khalil’s arrest, and the Guardian reported last year that the group said it had submitted “thousands of names” to the administration for similar treatment. More information about the government’s reliance on groups emerged last year during a court case surrounding the government’s campaign against pro-Palestinian academics.
The names of the lawsuit filed by Halil in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday were announced. Several senior Trump officials, including White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, secretary of state Marco Rubio and former homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, are among the defendants, as are conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission and Betar.
The lawsuit alleges that the Heritage Foundation and two of its leaders spearheaded the formulation of “Project Esther,” which allegedly “served as the blueprint” for what became a “public-private partnership” seeking to defeat the growing movement for Palestinian rights.
The complaint alleges that government officials worked “hand in hand” with the groups “to deprive selected individuals of their basic rights and broadcast a chilling message that Palestinians and their supporters will be subject to state oppression simply because of their identity and constitutionally protected political views.”
Project Esther allegedly “is a document that describes a plan to identify and target pro-Palestinian, non-citizen students and scholars and then have them arrested and deported by federal defendants who participated in the conspiracy.”
The case is being brought under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which was originally passed to combat the Klan’s violent, coercive behavior.
The Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission and Betar US did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Khalil was granted his visa for knowingly and knowingly failing to accurately report information about his background. Those who lie to the government to gain entry to the United States will face justice,” a White House spokesman said in a statement.
Federal immigration authorities arrested Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian parents, in March 2025 for defending Palestinian rights. She was sent to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana, where she was held for 104 days, during which time she missed the birth of her child. He is married to a US citizen.
The Trump administration initially argued that Khalil could be deported because his views posed a threat to US foreign policy. Rubio said at the time that Khalil’s presence in the United States would have “negative foreign policy consequences.”
Federal authorities later alleged that Khalil “misrepresented” information on his green card application; His lawyers vehemently deny this accusation.
His arrest and detention sparked widespread condemnation from civil liberties and free speech groups, and a number of high-profile voices spoke out on his behalf. Actors Cynthia Nixon and Morgan Spector were among the speakers at Tuesday’s press conference.
Although Khalil was released from immigration detention last June, the government continued efforts to deport him. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court dealt a blow to the case, ruling that it should be heard in immigration court.
Khalil’s lawyers say they will ask The Supreme Court will intervene.
Last year, in the lawsuit over the Trump administration’s policy towards pro-Palestinian students and academics, details emerged about how Canary Mission and Betar USA were involved in compiling “deportation lists” that they sent to US government officials.
Peter Hatch, a senior official in ICE’s national security investigations (HSI) division, testified that the agency created a special team to investigate student protesters and compiled more than 100 reports based on a list of 5,000 people identified on the group’s Canary Mission website.
“The direction was to look at the website,” Hatch said. “That we should look into the people mentioned on the Canary Mission website.”
