An alien is “deportable” if he acts as a “representative of a political, social, or other group that endorses or espouses terrorist activity.” Khalil was a representative of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which clearly endorsed Hamas. Why hasn’t the Trump administration made that case for deporting him?
“Trump Admin Reacts to Mahmoud Khalil’s $20 Million Lawsuit Against DHS,” by Gabe Whisnant, Newsweek, July 10, 2025:
The Trump administration is rejecting claims made by Palestinian-American activist Mahmoud Khalil, who is seeking $20 million in damages from the federal government for what he describes as a politically motivated attempt to silence him.
In a newly filed civil claim, Khalil, now free on bail and back home in New York, accuses the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the State Department of false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and defamation—including being wrongly branded an antisemite—after his arrest and detention in March.
In response to the filing, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back aggressively.
“Khalil’s claim is absurd,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press. She accused Khalil of engaging in “hateful behavior and rhetoric” that DHS says threatened Jewish students.
The State Department, meanwhile, said its actions regarding Khalil were lawful and appropriate….
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an April memo that Khalil‘s campus activities were “otherwise lawful,” but noted that Khalil’s deportation is necessary to avoid undermining U.S. foreign policy.
His release came after Khalil and his legal team appealed a judge’s June 13 decision that he could remain in ICE detention in Louisiana based on the Trump administration’s arguments that he had committed fraud on his green card application.
Khalil, a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate student, told AP the lawsuit is about holding those in power accountable.
“They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” he said. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”
The legal claim, filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, marks a significant step toward potential civil litigation and comes as Khalil’s deportation case continues in immigration court.
For Khalil, the trauma is deeply personal. On a recent afternoon, he sat in his Manhattan apartment cradling his 10-week-old son, Deen, recalling the night he spent in a cold Louisiana immigration jail awaiting news of the baby’s birth back in New York.
“I cannot describe the pain of that night,” Khalil said, looking down at his infant son. “This is something I will never forgive.”…
Khalil has said he hopes the case sparks broader scrutiny of what he views as a Trump-era effort to punish dissent, particularly from Palestinian and Muslim voices….
Khalil told the AP, “This isn’t just about me. It’s about setting a precedent. We need to show that abusing the immigration system for political retribution is not acceptable in a democracy. I’m not going to be quiet just because they tried to lock me up. That’s not how this works.”…
Rubio told reporters in March that the U.S. can deny visas for “virtually any reason,” “If you tell us, when you apply, ‘Hi, I’m trying to get into the United States on a student visa, I am a big supporter of Hamas, a murderous, barbaric group that kidnaps children, that rapes teenage girls, that takes hostages, that allows them to die in captivity, that returns more bodies than live hostages.'”
“If you tell us that you are in favor of a group like this, and if you tell us, when you apply for your visa, and by the way, ‘I intend to come to your country as a student and rile up all kinds of anti-Jewish student, antisemitic activities, I intend to shut down your universities.”
Rubio continued, “If you told us all these things when you applied for a visa, we would deny your visa. I hope we would. If you actually end up doing that, once you’re in this country on such a visa, we will revoke it.”…
Michael Stone says
I wish Massoud would assist in his removal.
tom parry says
anyone with Mohamad in their name or family history should deported and fined for offending our nation with such a hateful anti Christian name. It is time to fight back for our nations origins.
peace out
Ruth E weekly says
It was stupid, very stupid for America to let him come back to America. Will America never learn. They must like giving away millions to Muslims.
Wellington says
Ruth E weekly: Leftists let this wretched man back into America. America as a whole did not, and which points out in microcosm a simply horrible problem that America is confronted with, i.e., the complete idiocy of Leftism and which ideology has pretty much taken over one of the two major political parties in America, the Democratic Party, and why personally I am done with any excuses for why one would remain registered as a Democrat.
Islam dying would be a gift to all of mankind. The Democratic Party of the USA dying would first and foremost be a gift to America but by extension to all of mankind as well because as America goes the entire world goes.
Right now, the single biggest drag on America is not Islam, drag enough though it be. No, it is the Democratic Party of the USA and if I’m wrong about this then I am wrong about most everything.
But I resiliently and defiantly state that I am not wrong here .
gravenimage says
+1
carpediadem says
I just love how Rubio says ” if you had told us this and this we never would have let you in”.
Are US officials actually so dumb to believe that violent thugs who intend to cause serious civic damage will blithely declare that on an effing FORM!???
“Hi I”m a terrorist planning to see New York, terrorise Jewish Americans and cause a mass casualty event.
See you soon!”
Ridiculous.
somehistory says
It isn’t ‘just about’ this terror=supporting goon; it’s about $$$$$ and it’s about hamas…a designated terror organization.
This greedy mo is a criminal, should be sent packing back to syria, and not given a dime of taxpayer money.
He claims he wants to teach those in charge a lesson….but the money would come from those he hates, so why should he get one penny?
He is not a citizen, so he should not get to have one second, not a nano-second, to tell everyone “how it works.”
Mr. Rubio, send him out of the country. If his wife wishes to go, send her too.
I actually feel sorry for the baby. Having terrorist supporters for parents…..no baby should suffer that..
Taffy says
Gaza is full of such children and babies.
Ruth E weekly says
Well it was stupid to let him back in America. Will America never learn. They are giving those crazy people millions of dollars.
shosh says
Imagine a U.S. citizen activist publicly endorsing and espousing terrorist activity against Syria while living in Syria.
Should we adopt this man’s home country’s response to his behavior in America?
Hoi Polloi says
This individual should have no standing. The Supreme Court repeatedly rules as such in voter fraud cases brought by citizens. I recently read about an illegal who threw himself onto the tracks in the NYC subway system in front of a train, claimed he tripped, then got $20M.
We send fine young men and women off to war where they lose life and limb. Firefighters, police, and border/immigration officers, the same. They don’t get $20M. People got sky high stacks of money because they chose to smoke.
The foundations of this country are in need of demolition and rebuilding. Things have gone very, very wrong.
somehistory says
The Court could, and should, easily throw this case out. They do that, and they should do it with this goon hoping to make a killing off of his crimes.
He isn’t even a citizen. The Constitution, giving rights to citizens, to use the court if necessary, did not offer those same rights to non-citizens.
Send him packing.
gravenimage says
Spot on, Somehistory.
carpediadem says
He has good lawyers though and corrupt judges on his side.
OLD GUY says
His lawyer should be ashamed of them selves for taking this case. But they see a big paycheck from non other than the American people.
Suggestion deport this pice of crap with his entire family and Save us all money. He shouldn’t have been here in the first place.
Hoi Polloi says
We’ve certainly seen that pairing make a mockery of what we believed was a somewhat sound judicial system. At the very least, he makes noise and forces taxpayers to pay for whatever justice system resources he manages to have directed his way. It works in favor of injustice and many left-aligned entities use that.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
If he loses, he should be forced to cough up that money for DHS, in addition to the legal expenses of both himself and the DHS
Bret says
Wonder how much money he will receive from the democrat party for this lawsuit. Either directly or indirectly. I suspect all of it. And most of it is taxpayers dollars being Ponzi schemed to him.
JS says
When will the deportation case take place? He is back at the campus, not as a student but as a Pro Hamas, Anti-American and anti-Israel / anti-Jewish hate cabal?
Trump must finish off the investigation of many of these universities. What is he waiting for?
JS says
When will the deportation case take place? He is back at the campus, not as a student but as a Pro Hamas, Anti-American and anti-Israel / anti-Jewish hate cabal?
Trump must finish off the investigation of many of these universities. What is he waiting for?
Nabil Bissada says
:”Mahmoud Khalil files $20,000,000 lawsuit against DHS, DHS says his claim is ‘absurd’”
Same what happened after 9-11. Muslims get scare, women take off their HIJAB.
Verses of the Koran in a business place was taking off.
Because no reaction was taking against Muslims they back with more power.
I was thinking when they arrested Mahmoud Khalil, they will take him to the Airport to be deported immediately to GAZA to support Hamas. For that him and his wife was crying afraid.
But because their hands are trembling in fear when they arrest Muslims, they couldn’t deport them immediately what supposed to be.
Muslims are more dangerous than the Latinos you are deporting them immediately by thousands.
===============
“BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND ISLAM, I HAVE ISLAMOPHOBIOA”
WHEN YOU HAVE TO SHOOT, SHOOT, DON’T TALK (MOVIE THE GOOD, BAD…)
“NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS BUT ALL TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS.”
“EVERY MUSLIMS IS A TIMING BOMB”
“WE MUST HAVE A NEW DEFINITION FOR DEMOCRACY, HUNMAN RIGHTS, FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND SPEECH WHO ARE USING BY THE MUSLIMS THE SOLDIERS OF ALLAH”
“OUR ENEMIES IN U.S.A. ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN OUR ENEMIES OUT OF U.S.A.”
“THE MUSLIMS SAME AS A RAT THEY SHOW UP ONLY WHEN IT IS SAFE AND AWAY FROM ANY TRAP TO CATCH THEM.”