Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and activist who was detained by US immigration authorities for taking part in campus pro-Palestine protests, is suing the administration of President Donald Trump for $20 million in damages.
The filing – a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act – names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the State Department.
His lawyers allege Mr Khalil, a legal US resident, was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an anti-Semite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in the protests.
The activist was detained by immigration officials in early March. He said that while in a Louisiana detention centre, he was denied medication, forced to sleep under harsh, fluorescent lights and fed “nearly inedible” food, causing him to lose 7kg.
He was released from detention last month. Mr Khalil said he wanted those in the Trump administration who sought his deportation to be held responsible.
"I want to make sure that everyone who contributed to my arrest will be held accountable," he told National Public Radio. "That's something I'm also looking forward to, because now I can defend myself."
Mr Khalil was held for more than three months over his campus activism against Israel’s actions in Gaza. His deportation case is still pending resolution.
“They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” he told AP. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”
He added that he plans to share any settlement money with others detained in President Donald Trump’s “failed” effort to suppress pro-Palestinian speech. In lieu of a settlement, he would also accept an official apology and changes to the administration’s deportation policies.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, in a statement called Mr Khalil’s claim “absurd”, accusing him of “hateful behavior and rhetoric” that threatened Jewish students.
