Mahmoud Khalil lawsuit says Columbia failed to protect pro-Palestinian activists

Mahmoud Khalil and pro-Palestinian student activists filed a lawsuit against Columbia University on Monday, alleging the institution's failure to protect students from years of harassment due to their advocacy. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and graduate student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), became a symbol of the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests following his arrest in March 2025 at the university's residence.

Despite being a lawful permanent resident, Khalil was not accused of any crime. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court by Khalil, SIPA Palestine Working Group, and its president Mohammad Zubairi, claims Columbia violated federal civil rights law through its inaction in protecting students from threats, doxxing, and harassment based on Arab or Muslim ancestry or advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Columbia's campus has been divided by the ongoing Gaza conflict, with the central pedestrian walkway closed for nearly three years as the university grapples with safety concerns and a desire for normalcy. Columbia did not comment on the lawsuit, but a spokeswoman stated, "Creating a campus environment where every member of our community feels welcome, supported, and safe is fundamental to who we are as a university.

It is also a responsibility we take seriously." Khalil had reported harassment since the spring semester of 2023, before Israel's war in Gaza, yet Columbia allegedly treated pro-Palestinian protests as security risks, revising policies to label any criticism of Israel's military or government conduct as disciplinary offenses. The lawsuit asserts that Columbia's failure to address Khalil's and Zubairi's reports of ongoing harassment and violence, as well as the retaliatory actions taken against them, placed them at risk of further harm.

Khalil, an Algerian citizen born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, spent 104 days in a Louisiana jail following his arrest, losing the birth of his first child in the process. Despite being released on bail, he still faces potential deportation after a federal appeals court in Philadelphia ruled that a district court judge lacked jurisdiction when he ordered Khalil's release.

Khalil also filed a separate lawsuit against Columbia in March 2025, challenging the university's disclosure of student disciplinary records to a House of Representatives committee, less than a week after his arrest.