Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia University over years of alleged anti-Palestinian discrimination

Lawsuit accuses university of deliberate indifference' and failure to respond to persistent and coordinated harassment'

Mahmoud Khalil announced on Monday that he's sued Columbia University, accusing the New York City school he attended of a years-long history of anti-Palestinian discrimination, indifference to harassment, and retaliation.

Khalil, a US green card holder of Palestinian descent, was a graduate student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) when he was arrested at his university apartment by federal immigration agents in March 2025, the first of a number of foreign nationals that the Trump administration has detained and sought to deport over their pro-Palestinian advocacy.