A University of Michigan student has filed a lawsuit against the institution, accusing it of orchestrating a covert surveillance campaign in retaliation for his participation in protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza. The legal action, submitted on Thursday in federal court by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan chapter and student Josiah Walker, alleges that the university collaborated with private investigators to intimidate, terrorize, and retaliate against Walker throughout 2024 and 2025.
Details of the Allegations
According to the complaint, the university and the private investigators engaged in a series of unlawful acts, including falsifying police reports, manipulating official documents, illegally stalking and assaulting Walker, seizing his property without justification, and pursuing malicious prosecutions. The lawsuit claims that this coordinated campaign inflicted severe psychological trauma on Walker, forcing him to alter his daily life significantly. Amy Doukoure, a representative of CAIR-MI, stated, "He modified his entire way of life because of this. He was always in a heightened state of anxiety, and always hyper-vigilant and alert in a way that no college student should be when just going to class or work."
Walker's Role and Previous Revelations
Walker serves as a leader with Students Allied For Freedom and Equality (SAFE), a group linked to Students for Justice in Palestine, and volunteers with the campus Muslim chaplaincy. The Guardian reported in June 2025 that the University of Michigan had deployed numerous undercover agents to monitor pro-Palestinian students, tracking them both on and off campus, secretly recording their activities, and eavesdropping on their conversations. In some instances, investigators allegedly threatened students, and video footage captured by Walker shows an investigator driving a car toward him, forcing him to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.
Legal Violations and Prior Incidents
The lawsuit asserts that the defendants infringed upon Walker's First Amendment right to free speech and repeatedly violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment privacy rights. It specifically alleges that police manipulated and exaggerated reports to gain access to his Google Drive and email accounts. Moreover, it claims that none of the private investigators were licensed under Michigan law to conduct undercover surveillance, rendering the entire operation illegal.
In 2024, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel brought trespassing charges against Walker, which the lawsuit contends were based on a falsified report. The charges stemmed from an incident following a May 2024 raid on a Gaza solidarity encampment at U-M. Walker had contacted university police to retrieve seized religious items, including prayer mats, and was assured he would not face repercussions. However, upon arrival at the station, an officer abruptly issued him a trespass warning. The university allegedly ignored his requests for a copy of the report, which the lawsuit claims was fabricated.
September 2024 Arrest and Conspiracy Claims
The complaint also details an incident at a September 2024 campus festival where body-camera footage purportedly shows officers plotting to arrest Walker for trespassing, even if he was not violating any rules. At the festival, officers tackled, beat, and arrested him, charging him with resisting arrest and trespassing. The lawsuit states, "This demonstrates a deliberate conspiracy to violate his constitutional rights, punish him for protected speech, and assert state power over student dissent." Walker spent the night in county jail. Nessel later dropped the resisting charge and dismissed the trespassing charges after the Guardian exposed her connections to U-M leadership, who had encouraged her to prosecute students, and after defense attorneys called for a hearing into potential pro-Israel bias in her investigation. The lawsuit notes that Nessel's dismissal "confirmed what had always been apparent: the case lacked legal merit, was driven by political retaliation, and could not withstand judicial scrutiny."
Broader Context of Student Lawsuits
This lawsuit is part of a wave of legal actions by students across the United States alleging civil rights violations during university crackdowns on Gaza protests following October 7, 2023. The University of Maryland and the University of California regent have paid damages in two cases, while Columbia University was ordered to reverse punishments. Walker's suit also claims that in 2025, after he video-recorded an investigator tailing him at night, the investigator falsely accused him of assault with a camera flash, leading to a warrant for his Google account. The account contained sensitive personal, religious, academic, and political materials, as well as privileged attorney-client information. Walker was not charged with assault.
Selective Enforcement Allegations
The lawsuit contends that U-M has never used similar tactics against other protest movements, such as those against the Vietnam War or in support of reproductive justice or Israel. It alleges that only advocates for Palestinian rights have been subjected to such surveillance. In one instance, body-camera footage reportedly shows U-M police acknowledging that pro-Israel protesters were violating the law and school rules, yet only pro-Palestinian counterprotesters were dispersed and arrested.
Demands for Justice
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and punitive measures against the university and the private investigators. Doukoure emphasized, "We want the university and City Shield [the private investigators] to know they can't undertake these measures simply because they don't like the speech being made."
