Detained activist Khalil sues to bar Columbia from sharing disciplinary records

Source: Reuters

Detained activist Khalil sues to bar Columbia from sharing disciplinary records

Luc Cohen
Thu, March 13, 2025 at 11:14 AM EDT 4 min read

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Detained pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil asked a federal court on Thursday to block Columbia University from sharing student disciplinary records from campus protests with a Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives committee.

Separately, Khalil's lawyers have asked a federal judge to release him from immigration detention in Louisiana, arguing that Republican President Donald Trump's administration targeted him for arrest and deportation because of his advocacy in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for freedom of speech. Khalil, who has lawful permanent resident status in the United States, was arrested last Saturday in New York City.

Khalil's case has become a flashpoint for Trump's pledge to deport some activists who participated in the wave of protests on U.S. college campuses against Israel's military assault on Gaza following the October 2023 attack by the militant group Hamas.

Trump's administration has said pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, including at Columbia, have included support for Hamas and antisemitic harassment of Jewish students. The administration last week said it canceled grants and contracts worth about $400 million to Columbia because of what it describes as antisemitic harassment on and near the school's campus.

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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-seeks-toss-columbia-151408040.html