8 Students Sue Columbia To Block Records Release To Feds

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — Mahmoud Khalil, the recent Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist who was detained by the Trump administration last weekend, is suing the university, along with seven current students, to block the school from sharing its disciplinary records with the government, according to court documents published Thursday.

In the lawsuit, the eight students from Columbia University and Barnard College argue that sharing disciplinary records infringes on their First Amendment rights to free speech. All students, except for Khalil, are anonymous and use pseudonyms in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit names both Columbia University and its affiliate, Barnard College, as defendants, along with their respective presidents.

Last month, the Trump administration's House Committee on Education and Workforce sent a letter to Columbia University administrators asking them to release disciplinary records connected to 11 pro-Palestinian protest incidents over the past year.

"The Feb. 13 Letter relies on mischaracterizations and false accusations of antisemitism to cast a wide net. To fully comply with the Committee’s request, the University would need to turn over entire private files of hundreds of its students, faculty, and staff," the lawsuit reads.

"These records contain, at a minimum, demographic, academic, and financial information, and at most, personally identifying information, student group affiliations and associations, and related private information that could be and have been used to harass, make threats against, and dox the individuals whose records are turned over to the Committee, and whose personal privacy and safety would be jeopardized by the Committee's politically charged investigation."

On Thursday night, the same day the lawsuit was published, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched two Columbia University student residences, the school's leadership said in a late-night statement.

During the search, no one was arrested or detained, and no items were removed, and no further action was taken, school administrators said.

Thursday's lawsuit comes less than a week after the Trump administration pulled $400 million in federal grants from Columbia and President Donald Trump vowed to arrest and deport student activists like Khalil.

Since then, the city has seen several protests calling for the right to free speech and condemning Khalil's arrest.

Khalil, a legal U.S. resident with a green card, has not been charged with any crime but has been accused of siding with terrorists by Trump's administration.

"During this moment of upheaval and protest, the University, largely due to political pressures from the Committee and other governmental actors, has subjected its students, faculty and staff to investigations in an attempt to repress their views critical of Israel, generating hundreds of disciplinary records," the lawsuit reads.

Representatives from Barnard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This article will be updated if they respond. Columbia representatives declined to comment.

See the full lawsuit here.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.