Lawsuit against Columbia University for failing to protect pro-Palestinian students

Student activist Mahmoud Khalil and pro-Palestinian activists filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan against Columbia University, accusing its administration of willfully ignoring harassment and threats they faced due to their support for the Palestinian cause, and violating federal civil rights law.

Student activist Mahmoud Khalil and pro-Palestinian activists filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan against Columbia University. The lawsuit accuses the university administration of willfully ignoring harassment and threats they faced due to their pro-Palestinian activism. The suit, filed by Khalil and the 'Task Force for Palestine' at the School of International and Public Affairs and its president Muhammad Zubairi, claims the university violated federal civil rights law by failing to protect students from threats, exposing personal information, and other forms of harassment based on their presumed Arab or Muslim background or advocacy for Palestinian rights. The lawsuit accuses the university of treating pro-Palestinian protests as 'security risks' instead of investigating reports of harassment, exposing group members to the risk of violence and causing ongoing harm. The lawsuit comes as Khalil still faces possible deportation from the United States after his arrest in March 2025 by immigration authorities, despite holding legal permanent residency and not being charged with a crime.