Mahmoud Khalil sues Trump over government communications with doxxing groups

• Mahmoud Khalil has filed a lawsuit demanding the Trump administration release communications with anti-Palestinian groups.
• Evidence suggests these organizations influenced federal agencies in his arrest and targeting of other Palestine solidarity activists.
• A federal judge previously deemed the administration’s deportation efforts “likely unconstitutional.”

Mahmoud Khalil filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the Trump administration to release communications with anti-Palestinian organizations and individuals in the lead-up to his arrest last March.

These groups had claimed credit for his detention, and evidence, including testimony from an ICE official, suggests the administration acted on both information and misinformation provided by them to target Khalil and other Palestine solidarity activists.

Released in June after more than three months in detention, Khalil continues to fight the Trump administration’s effort to deport him, which a federal judge has called “likely unconstitutional.” He is one of at least nine individuals targeted by ICE shortly after being doxxed and harassed by a network of pro-'Israel' propaganda organizations. These groups reportedly gained unprecedented influence amid the administration’s campaign to deport students and academics advocating for Palestinian rights and speaking against 'Israel’s' actions in Gaza.

“For months, shady organizations and individuals carried out a smear and harassment campaign designed to intimidate and silence me,” Khalil said. “The public deserves full accountability for every bad actor who helped make that possible, including those at Columbia who fabricated and amplified these smears and opened the door for state retaliation against Palestinian speech.”

The lawsuit aims to expose the relationship between the Trump administration and the shadowy organizations known for spreading unfounded allegations of terrorism and antisemitism. It follows the administration’s failure to respond to Khalil’s May FOIA request. During a trial that led a federal judge to conclude the administration had engaged in an unconstitutional policy of “ideological deportation,” an ICE official testified that the agency reviewed more than 5,000 names provided by Canary Mission, an obscure doxxing organization. Khalil was among those listed.

Evidence suggests collusion between federal officials and anti-Palestinian groups. Weeks before Khalil’s arrest, Betar USA included him on its “deport list” and publicly claimed that ICE was aware of his address. Betar said it shared this information with administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Similarly, Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus called for Khalil’s deportation on X the day before his arrest, tagging Secretary Rubio. Columbia professor Shai Davidai, an advisory board member of the group, had made a similar post on March 6.

“Mr. Khalil and the public at large have the right to know about the depth of the collusion between the federal government and the shadowy groups targeting people who speak out against a genocide,” said Adina Marx-Arpadi, attorney and Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Others initially targeted by anti-Palestinian groups and later by the administration include Mohsen Mahdawi (Columbia University), Rümeysa Öztürk (Tufts University), Momodou Taal (Cornell University), Dr. Badar Khan Suri (Georgetown University), Efe Ercelik (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Ranajani Srinivasan (Columbia University), Leqaa Kordia (Columbia University), and Yunseo Chung (Columbia University).

Khalil’s lawsuit seeks all records of communications between ICE, the DOJ, DOS, DHS, and organizations including Canary Mission, Betar, Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus, Columbia Alumni for Israel, Middle East Forum, Shirion Collective, Capital Research Center, and CAMERA. He also seeks communications involving individuals who reportedly targeted, doxxed, or facilitated the deportation of him and other pro-Palestinian students.

The lawsuit and original FOIA request were filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, part of Khalil’s legal team challenging the constitutionality of his arrest and detention. Other members of his legal team include Dratel & Lewis, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, Washington Square Legal Services, the ACLU, NYCLU, ACLU of Louisiana, and the ACLU of New Jersey.