Columbia University Graduate Mahmoud Khalil Sues to Block Release of Disciplinary Records Amid Deportation Battle

New York, March 15, 2025 – Mahmoud Khalil, a detained pro-Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University graduate, has escalated his legal fight against both his alma mater and a Republican-led U.S. House committee. On Thursday, Khalil, alongside seven unnamed Columbia and Barnard College students, filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to prevent the university from releasing student disciplinary records to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The lawsuit, filed amid Khalil’s ongoing immigration detention, alleges that the committee’s demands and Columbia’s apparent willingness to comply violate students’ First Amendment rights and federal privacy laws.

The legal action stems from a February directive by the House committee, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), which ordered Columbia to submit disciplinary records related to 11 incidents of campus protests from the 2023-2024 academic year. The committee’s request, framed as an investigation into “pervasive antisemitism” on campus, includes records tied to high-profile demonstrations, such as the April 2024 occupation of Hamilton Hall. Khalil, a prominent figure in Columbia’s pro-Palestinian protest movement, argues that the release of these records would expose hundreds of students to harassment, doxxing, and threats, chilling their constitutionally protected speech.

Khalil’s case has drawn national attention since his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 8 outside his university-owned apartment in New York City. A lawful permanent resident with a green card, married to a pregnant U.S. citizen, Khalil has not been charged with a crime. However, the Trump administration has accused him—without public evidence—of supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, and justified his detention under a statute allowing the Secretary of State to deport individuals deemed a threat to national security or foreign policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited “serious adverse foreign policy consequences” as grounds for seeking Khalil’s removal, according to a Justice Department filing this week.

The lawsuit names Columbia University, its interim president Katrina Armstrong, Barnard College, its president Laura Ann Rosenbury, and the House committee as defendants. It contends that the committee’s demands overstep congressional authority and that Columbia’s compliance would breach the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which safeguards student records. “Columbia University’s apparent willingness to comply with the Congressional request sets a dangerous precedent that undermines academic freedom and student privacy,” said Amy Greer, Khalil’s attorney from the law firm Dratel & Lewis, in a statement. The plaintiffs seek an injunction to halt the records’ release and compensation for any documents already provided.

The filing coincided with Columbia’s announcement of severe disciplinary measures against students involved in last fall’s protests, including multi-year suspensions and expulsions. It also followed a Thursday search by Department of Homeland Security agents of two Columbia residences, though no arrests were made. Interim President Armstrong called the developments “a challenging moment” for the university, which recently lost $400 million in federal funding after the Trump administration accused it of failing to address antisemitism.

Khalil, currently held in a Louisiana detention facility, faces a separate legal battle over his deportation. His attorneys are challenging the legality of his arrest and seeking his return to New York, arguing that his detention represents political retaliation for his activism. Supporters, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have rallied behind him, with protests erupting at Trump Tower and elsewhere this week. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has urged dismissal of Khalil’s habeas corpus petition, asserting that his transfer out of New York strips the Manhattan court of jurisdiction.

As of Saturday, March 15, no ruling has been issued on the lawsuit to block the records’ transfer. The case continues to spotlight tensions over free speech, immigration policy, and campus activism in an increasingly polarized political climate. Columbia University declined to comment on the pending litigation, and the House committee did not immediately respond to inquiries. Legal proceedings are expected to intensify in the coming days, with Khalil’s team due to file further motions by midnight tonight. 17GEN4.com