Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent advocate for Palestinian rights, has initiated legal proceedings in federal court, claiming his arrest and detention were the outcomes of a conspiracy orchestrated by senior officials from the Trump administration and several private organizations. The case, filed under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, implicates numerous figures, including Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, and Markwayne Mullin, who are accused of targeting Khalil due to his activism against pro-Palestinian campus groups. The lawsuit also includes entities like the Heritage Foundation and surveillance groups Canary Mission and Betar.
The detailed 131-page complaint alleges that in October 2024, the Heritage Foundation launched a project known as Project Esther. This initiative purportedly aimed to identify non-citizen students and scholars supportive of Palestinian rights for possible arrest and deportation. This effort allegedly involved collaboration with an administration favorable to such actions, utilizing data from Canary Mission and Betar to compile lists of targets. According to a testimony in another federal case, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official noted that about 75% of investigations stemmed from leads provided by Canary Mission.
Khalil, who holds lawful permanent resident status and is married to a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents on March 8, 2025. During his 104 days in detention, he missed the birth of his first child. In his lawsuit, Khalil seeks both compensatory and punitive damages, as well as an injunction to prevent further efforts to deport him.
In a statement, Khalil emphasized the broader significance of his case, asserting that it highlights a systematic campaign aimed at silencing activists advocating for Palestinian liberation. Additional details about the case and its implications have been reported by JURIST.
The lawsuit raises significant questions about the intersection of immigration enforcement and political activism, drawing attention from both legal experts and civil rights organizations. As this case unfolds, it may have broader implications for similar activist groups facing potential targeting and surveillance.