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Mahmoud Khalil files suit alleging a 'public-private' conspiracy to target Israel's critics. Mahmoud Khalil is suing the federal government and several private groups for allegedly conspiring to suppress criticism of Israel. * By JAKE OFFENHARTZ - Associated Press * Jul 14, 2026 Updated 2 hrs ago NEW YORK (AP) - Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is suing the federal government and several private groups, alleging they were part of a conspiracy to suppress criticism of Israel through a coordinated campaign to dox, jail and ultimately deport student activists. The civil rights suit, filed in federal court Tuesday, names the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, as the architect of what it describes as an ongoing conspiracy to silence members of the pro-Palestinian movement by smearing them as antisemites. Those efforts were aided by Canary Mission and Betar, two pro-Israel groups that maintain online lists of Israel's critics, often alongside unsubstantiated claims that they are affiliated with Hamas, according to the lawsuit. Activists placed on those lists "were nearly automatically targeted by the Federal Defendants for arrest and removal," the suit claims, adding that the "process of nomination to punishment was frictionless." Lawyers for Khalil argue this "public-private partnership" could violate the Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era law that sought to restrict government coordination with vigilante groups. The suit, led by the Center for Constitutional Rights, seeks unspecified damages and a judicial order to end the alleged conspiracy. Inquiries to the Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission and Betar were not immediately returned on Tuesday. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, did not comment on the lawsuit, but said in an email that the executive branch "has the lawful authority to take actions that will protect the public and to ensure the integrity of our immigration system." The suit comes as Khalil's deportation case appears headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. At a news conference on Tuesday, Khalil described the purpose of the latest filing as "exposing the network of organizations, particular actors and institutions that work together to criminalize solidarity with Palestine and to make an example of those who refuse to stay silent." "If constitutional protections can be cast aside under political pressure today, they can be cast aside tomorrow against anyone," he added. A former graduate student at Columbia University, Khalil gained prominence as a spokesperson and leader for student activists protesting against Israel and its actions in Gaza. He was arrested in March 2025 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in his campus apartment and quickly became the face of the Trump administration crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Khalil then spent 104 days in a Louisiana immigration jail, missing the birth of his first child, before a federal judge in New Jersey ordered his release. Soon after his arrest, both Canary Mission and Betar boasted of their role in flagging Khalil's noncitizen status to the government. Betar - an Israeli company that claimed to use facial recognition software to identify masked protesters - also claimed it had compiled a longer list of names and given it to the Trump administration. The group has since agreed to dissolve its nonprofit status, following a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing its members of harassing Palestinians. Khalil's lawsuit traces the origins of the alleged conspiracy to a blueprint from the Heritage Foundation, entitled "Project Esther," which called for the expulsion of noncitizens who joined protests against Israel. The report also suggested, without evidence, that participants in those protests should be seen as part of a "highly organized, global Hamas Support Network." In May, as the Trump administration ramped up its crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists, one of the report's authors, Robert Greenway, appeared to acknowledge the foundation's influence, saying that it was "no coincidence that we called for a series of actions to take place privately and publicly, and they are now happening," according to the suit. Greenway, a former adviser to Trump, did not reply to a request for comment. Khalil, meanwhile, has forcefully denied that his criticism of Israel amounts to antisemitism. While government officials - along with Canary Mission and Betar - have linked him to Hamas, they have offered no evidence to support the claim. "My beliefs are not wanting my tax money or tuition going toward investments in weapons manufacturers for a genocide," Khalil previously told The Associated Press. "It's as simple as that."

Mahmoud Khalil files suit alleging Trump admin, advocacy groups conspired to deport anti-Israel activists. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesman told JNS that the administration "acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority" in Khalil's case, "as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews and damages property." (July 14, 2026 / JNS) Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student facing deportation over his anti-Israel activism, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the Trump administration, the Heritage Foundation, Canary Mission and Betar of conspiring to target him and other pro-Palestinian activists for arrest, detention and deportation. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, alleges that administration officials and the three organizations coordinated to "single out Mr. Khalil and other non-citizen Palestinians and their supporters for arrest, detention and deportation, as punishment for their support of Palestinian rights." "The Trump administration acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority with respect to Khalil, as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews and damages property," a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told JNS. "We would encourage him to use the CBP Home app and self-deport now before he is arrested, deported and never given a chance to return." According to the complaint, the Heritage Foundation's Project Esther served as the blueprint for the alleged effort, with Canary Mission and Betar identifying activists for the administration to target. The suit alleges the groups publicly labeled those activists as terrorists or antisemites and warned they faced arrest and deportation before federal authorities detained or sought to remove them. "This lawsuit is about far more than what was done to me. It is about a coordinated, ongoing plot to punish, silence and intimidate everyone who dares to dissent and speak out for Palestinian liberation," Khalil stated. "We will hold them accountable." Aaron Bandler is an award-winning national reporter at JNS based in Los Angeles. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he worked for nearly eight years at the Jewish Journal, and before that, at the Daily Wire.

Washington and Lee grad receives promotion at DC-based public affairs firm. Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm DCI Group announced the promotion of Washington and Lee University graduate Julia McGann to the position of account manager. A native of Westfield, N.J., McGann is a 2026 graduate of Washington and Lee with a bachelor's degree in political science and art history. DCI announced McGann's promotion, along with two other team members, Julia Jacobsen and Jacques McFadden, in a LinkedIn post. Jacobson previously interned at The Heritage Foundation, the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic, and Greenspring Media before joining DCI. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame and is originally from Minnesota. McFadden joined DCI after interning at Fortyseven Communications. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. "One of the strengths of our firm is the caliber of people who come here, work hard, and grow," DCI Managing Partner Brian McCabe said. "These three individuals have consistently delivered for clients and earned the trust of colleagues across the firm. We are excited to recognize their accomplishments and look forward to their continued success at DCI." Founded in 1996, DCI is a Washington-based public affairs firm that provides public affairs, government relations, communications, research, digital advocacy, and grassroots engagement services for corporate, nonprofit, and association clients.