FBI Files Reveal Mahmoud Khalil Investigation Was Closed Before ICE Arrest

Newly released FBI documents reveal that a federal investigation into Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian rights activist and former Columbia University student, was closed without any findings to support claims that he advocated for violence, even as the Trump administration continued to label him a national security threat.

According to the records, the FBI received an anonymous tip on March 6, 2025, alleging that Khalil had called for violence on behalf of Hamas. The tip incorrectly listed Khalil as 22 years old; he is 31. Two days later, on March 8, 2025, unidentified officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Khalil at his home and transported him to a detention center in Louisiana.

Despite the arrest and the administration’s public framing of Khalil as a threat, the FBI determined that the tip did not justify further action. Heavily redacted documents show that by March 19, 2025, the FBI had closed its investigation and concluded that Khalil does not warrant further FBI investigation.

The documents were obtained by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), part of Khalil’s legal team, through a lawsuit over a public records request. The FBI declined to answer questions from The Intercept regarding whether the anonymous tip had been shared with ICE, and a spokesperson for the agency stated that they let documents obtained through the FOIA process speak for themselves and decline to comment further.

The revelation comes as the Trump administration has accelerated Khalil’s deportation case. Legal representatives for Khalil argue the proceedings are a form of retaliation for his protected political speech in support of Palestine.

Khalil was the first among thousands of students targeted by the Trump administration for deportation based on First Amendment-protected speech critical of Israel or supportive of Palestine. The administration utilized an obscure provision in immigration law to argue that Khalil and other students, including Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi, posed a threat to the foreign policy interests of the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who ordered the deportation, has repeatedly asserted that Khalil sympathized with terrorists. These claims mirrored accusations made by far-right doxing groups that had targeted the activist in the months preceding his arrest.

Hamid Bendaas, a spokesperson for the Institute for Middle East Understanding, which has worked with Khalil since his arrest, stated that the timing of the FBI’s closure of the probe relative to the ICE arrest reflects a threat to us all.

Bendaas further noted that while the FBI found no cause for continued investigation, that didn’t stop ICE from holding him in a detention center and separating him from his wife and newborn son for months.

The legal effort to uncover these documents began on May 29, 2025, when the Center for Constitutional Rights submitted a request for public records related to the arrest. Following a series of denials and delays, the CCR filed a lawsuit on November 20, 2025, alleging that federal agencies, including the FBI, had improperly withheld the records. The organization stated it has since received other documents from the Department of Justice and expects more from other agencies.

Samah Sisay, a staff attorney at the CCR, argued that the FBI’s findings undermine the government’s justifications for the arrest.

Despite the FBI closing its investigation with no findings to support the accusation, the Trump administration continued to label Mr. Khalil a supporter of Hamas in public comments. This document further supports our argument that the Trump administration had no legitimate reason to target Mr. Khalil besides his free speech in support of Palestine.

Samah Sisay, CCR staff attorney

Zoha Khalili, a senior managing attorney at Palestine Legal, described the situation as representative of broader tactics used against Palestinian activists, suggesting the administration acted first and created justifications later without regard for the findings of its own experts.

Khalil’s legal team intends to appeal a Board of Immigration Appeals order that rejected a request to terminate his deportation proceedings. He remains in the U.S. While fighting a separate federal habeas corpus case, which prevents his deportation from proceeding at this time.