Mahmoud Khalil files $20m claim against Trump administration for false imprisonment

Precursor to a lawsuit also claims the Palestinian activist was maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist who was detained by the Trump administration for months, have filed a claim for $20m in damages against the administration, alleging Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.

The filing - a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act - names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the state department.