Mahmoud Khalil sues Trump administration under KKK Act over deportation threats

Jul 14, 2026

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is suing Trump administration officials and right-wing groups like the Heritage Foundation under the KKK Act of 1871. The lawsuit alleges a conspiracy to persecute activists through arrests and deportation threats. Khalil, who was detained for 104 days in 2025, claims the groups identified targets for the government to pursue.

KKK Act lawsuit filing

▪The lawsuit, filed in New York's Southern District, alleges violations of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a Reconstruction-era law.
▪Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil filed a federal lawsuit against Trump administration officials and private groups on July 14, 2026.

Government-Zionist group conspiracy allegations

▪Named government defendants include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
▪The suit alleges a "public-private conspiracy" to punish, intimidate, and silence supporters of Palestinian rights.
▪Named private group defendants include the Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission, and the Zionist organization Betar.

Khalil's detention experience

▪Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, was arrested in March 2025 and spent 104 days in federal detention.
▪Khalil is a legal U.S. permanent resident, is married to a U.S. citizen, and still faces an ongoing deportation case.
▪During his detention, Khalil missed the birth of his first child.

Pro-Palestine activist targeting pattern

▪The Zionist group Betar began sending lists of pro-Palestinian foreign nationals to the Trump administration for deportation in January 2025.
▪The lawsuit claims at least eight other noncitizen Palestinians or their supporters were targeted for deportation based on their advocacy.

Canary Mission doxxing operations

▪Canary Mission, a website that doxxes critics of Israel, provided lists of protesters to the Department of Homeland Security.
▪A senior ICE official testified in July 2025 that a DHS team investigated student protesters based on a list of 5,000 people from Canary Mission's website.

Project Esther deportation plans

▪Project Esther, an addendum to Project 2025, provided a blueprint for linking student protesters to a supposed "Hamas Support Network."
▪The Heritage Foundation's "Project Esther" outlined plans to target pro-Palestine noncitizens for deportation.