Mahmoud Khalil Sues Trump Administration, Alleges Conspiracy With Pro-Israel Groups

Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University pro-Palestinian protest leader, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, alleging that the Trump administration conspired with pro-Israel groups to prosecute him for his activism. Khalil, arrested in March 2025 by immigration officers, spent 104 days in jail. The lawsuit claims violations of the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, an anti-conspiracy law, by a “network of organizations, political actors, and institutions that work together to criminalize solidarity with Palestine,” according to Khalil. The complaint names private pro-Israel entities like the Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission, and Betar USA, alongside senior Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller.

“For decades, the state of Israel and the Zionist organizations in this country that operate on behalf of Israel have understood that their conduct cannot survive honest scrutiny,” Khalil stated.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the complaint, claims that Project Esther, a 2024 plan by the Heritage Foundation, served as a “blueprint for the conspiracy,” with Betar and Canary Mission allegedly identifying activists for the Trump administration to target.