Khalil Files $20M Claim Over His ICE Detention

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University protester detained by ICE for more than 100 days without being charged with a crime, filed a claim against the Trump administration on Thursday seeking $20 million in damages. The filing accuses the government of falsely imprisoned Khalil, maliciously prosecuting him, and smearing the legal US resident as an antisemite over his role in the pro-Palestinian protests, Axios reports. Khalil's lawyers call his arrest and detention politically motivated. The government's deportation case is in the court system.

The goal is to send a message that he won't be intimidated into silence, Khalil, who was released last month, told the AP. The claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit, names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the State Department. "They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable," Khalil said. "Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked." He said he'd share any settlement money with others similarly targeted. In lieu of money, Khalil said he'd accept an official apology and changes to deportation policies. A Homeland Security spokesperson called the claim "absurd," saying Khalil was responsible for "hateful behavior and rhetoric" that threatened Jewish students.