Palestinian activist sues Trump officials, heritage groups

A Palestinian activist and legal permanent resident filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, alleging a conspiracy between senior Trump administration officials and private groups to suppress criticism of Israel by targeting, jailing, and attempting to deport him. Mahmoud Khalil, a 31-year-old former Columbia University graduate student, filed the 131-page complaint in the Southern District of New York, naming government officials and organizations including the Heritage Foundation, Betar, and the Canary Mission.

The lawsuit alleges the defendants engaged in a coordinated campaign to identify and punish pro-Palestinian activists, particularly non-citizens, by doxxing them, smearing them as antisemitic or supportive of terrorism, and then referring them to federal immigration authorities for arrest and deportation. Khalil claims this public-private partnership violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a Reconstruction-era law designed to punish conspiracies to deprive people of their constitutional rights.

According to the complaint, the alleged conspiracy was guided by a Heritage Foundation initiative called "Project Esther," described as a blueprint for harassing and...