Mahmoud Khalil Sues Trump Administration Over Pro-Palestine Deportation Plot

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on July 14, 2026, alleging a conspiracy between the Trump administration and private organizations to suppress criticism of Israel. The suit, brought under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, claims the Heritage Foundation created a blueprint called "Project Esther" to identify and expel noncitizens participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Khalil alleges that surveillance groups Canary Mission and Betar aided the government by providing lists of activists for arrest and deportation.

Khalil, a green card holder and former Columbia University graduate student, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March 2025 and detained in a Louisiana facility for 104 days, during which time he missed the birth of his son. The lawsuit names defendants including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alongside the Heritage Foundation, Betar, and Canary Mission. The legal action, led by the Center for Constitutional Rights, seeks damages and a judicial order to end the alleged public-private partnership.

In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security defended the administration's actions as being within constitutional authority regarding individuals who support terrorists. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson further claimed Khalil misrepresented his immigration application by failing to disclose prior work with UNRWA, though UNRWA stated Khalil was only a brief intern and never on its payroll. While Khalil currently has a stay barring his removal, his individual deportation case is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.