Key facts
- Mahmoud Khalil is suing Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, alleging a conspiracy to suppress criticism of Israel.
- The lawsuit names Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Markwayne Mullin, Todd Blanche, Kristi Noem, John Armstrong, Canary Mission, Betar US, and the Heritage Foundation.
- Khalil alleges the defendants conspired to target him and other non-citizen Palestinian rights activists, violating the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.
- He was detained for 104 days starting in March 2025, missing the birth of his child.
- Khalil is appealing a judge's ruling that he could be deported and is pursuing a federal constitutional challenge regarding his detention and attempted deportation.
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against senior Trump administration officials and several pro-Israel groups, alleging a conspiracy to suppress criticism of Israel and intimidate activists. The suit, brought under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, claims that these entities coordinated to target Khalil and other non-citizen Palestinian rights advocates.
Khalil, represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and Beldock Levine & Hoffman, stated that the goal of the defendants was to create fear and make speaking out too costly. He was detained for 104 days starting in March 2025, missing the birth of his child, despite being a green card holder married to a U.S. citizen.
The defendants named include former White House senior advisor Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, acting attorney general Todd Blanche, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and State Department official John Armstrong. Also named are Canary Mission, a website that publicly lists individuals and organizations critical of Israel; Betar US, a pro-Israel advocacy group; and the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that published a policy roadmap supporting Israel.
Khalil asserts that the retaliation he faced will not silence him and that he is now a plaintiff seeking accountability. He has two pending cases, including an appeal against a deportation ruling and a federal constitutional challenge concerning his detention and attempted deportation.