Columbia University Protester Seeks $20 Million from Trump Administration

A radical anti-Israel agitator from Columbia University is now demanding $20 million from the Trump administration, claiming he was “falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and smeared as an antisemite” during efforts to deport him from the United States.

Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leading figures in Columbia’s notorious anti-Israel protests, filed a claim Thursday targeting the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and the State Department — accusing the Trump administration of violating his rights and causing emotional distress.

Let’s be clear: Khalil is not some innocent student activist. He was a central figure in demonstrations that Jewish students and watchdog groups widely condemned as openly antisemitic. Yet, now he wants the American taxpayer to hand him a multi-million dollar payout.

• Khalil’s deportation is still pending in the court system.

• His $20 million claim is a precursor to a federal lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

• He says he’d accept an “official apology” and policy changes instead but he’s also happy to split a cash settlement with others allegedly “targeted” by the Trump administration.

“They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” Khalil told the Associated Press. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”

Unsurprisingly, the AP highlighted Khalil’s emotional pain, including missing the birth of his son due to detention, but made no mention of the Jewish students he intimidated or the hostile campus environment he helped create.

Trump officials are firing back. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin called the claim “absurd,” adding that Khalil led “hateful behavior and rhetoric” that made Jewish students feel unsafe on their own campus.

“He wasn’t some bystander. He helped fuel a climate of harassment and intimidation. We’re not going to apologize for protecting our borders and our citizens,” McLaughlin said.

Khalil’s demand is just the latest chapter in the left’s effort to turn agitators into victims and paint law enforcement as the villain. While Jewish students are forced to walk through campus protests laced with hate, Khalil plays the martyr hoping for a payout or political leverage.

And let’s not forget: this is all happening as President Trump works to deport foreign nationals who abuse their student visas and incite violence or spread hate especially those radicalizing college campuses with pro-Hamas or anti-American rhetoric.

Khalil’s supporters may see him as a symbol of “resistance,” but for most Americans, he’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of coddling extremism in elite institutions and the cost of failing to enforce immigration laws.

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