Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate and green card holder detained by the Trump administration for months over pro-Palestinian activism, is suing Columbia University for discrimination — bad news for the school's reputation as it faces new evidence of a double standard in how it treats pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups.

• The 60-page federal lawsuit accuses Columbia, its board, and dean Keren Yarhi-Milo of ignoring harassment, doxing, and surveillance aimed at Palestinian and Muslim students.
• Khalil says the school's indifference set the stage for his arrest by immigration agents, during which he missed the birth of his first child.
• The same day, a report from The Intercept showed Columbia paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC's charity arm and the ADL, while giving little or nothing to Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim groups.
• Columbia says the money went through a donor-advised fund, a setup that lets donors hide their identities, and insists it wants every student to feel safe.
• Columbia suspended pro-Palestinian groups and called the NYPD on campus protesters several times during the 2024 encampments.

Outlook: The lawsuit will now move through federal court in New York, and the spending revelations are likely to fuel more pressure on Columbia and other elite universities already facing falling enrollment.