Judge releases Columbia student activist targeted for deportation by Trump administration
Mohsen Mahdawi was apprehended during a crackdown targeting pro-Palestinian students who were studying legally in the United States.
TroibNews 
BURLINGTON, Vermont — On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the immediate release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who had been detained by immigration officials and faced deportation due to his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Mahdawi's arrest was part of a broader crackdown on foreign students legally studying in the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has utilized a rarely invoked provision of immigration law to target certain students for deportation, claiming their presence undermines America's foreign policy interests.
Mahdawi was detained on April 14 when he attended an immigration office in Vermont for a naturalization interview.
“I am saying it clear and loud,” Mahdawi stated outside a federal courthouse shortly after U.S. District Judge William Sessions III ordered his release. “To President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you.”
While Sessions' order allows Mahdawi to remain free while his case is ongoing, it does not end the Trump administration's efforts to deport him. Judge Sessions, who was appointed by Clinton, had previously intervened to prevent immigration authorities from transferring Mahdawi to a detention facility in a more conservative judicial district, a tactic the Trump administration has employed for other detainees.
Mahdawi, originally from the West Bank, has lived in the U.S. for a decade. Holding a green card, he is considered a legal permanent resident and was nearing the completion of the process to become a U.S. citizen at the time of his arrest.
Alongside other pro-Palestinian students and faculty who have faced swift deportation proceedings during President Trump’s first 100 days, Mahdawi contends that the administration is infringing upon his First Amendment rights by targeting him for his criticisms of Israel and participation in campus protests.
Mahmoud Khalil, another leader in Columbia's pro-Palestinian movement, has been contesting his deportation by the Trump administration for nearly two months. Like Mahdawi, Khalil possesses a green card and is currently detained in Louisiana.
Additional academics facing expedited deportation include Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University researcher detained partially due to his father-in-law's past association with Hamas, and Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student known for her critical views on Israel.
All of these individuals have been classified by Rubio as detrimental to U.S. foreign policy interests. Courts are increasingly scrutinizing the deportation efforts, with one Reagan-appointed judge recently allowing a broad First Amendment challenge to proceed.
Mahdawi is thought to be the first student released from detention following Rubio’s foreign-policy classification. The departments of State and Homeland Security did not provide immediate comments when requested.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, Sessions remarked that Mahdawi, who resides in Vermont's Upper Valley, had suffered “great harm” from his two weeks of detention.
“Even another day of detention is not to be tolerated,” the judge stated.
Sessions drew parallels between the Trump administration's actions against college students based on their speech and the McCarthyism of the 1950s, which targeted academics suspected of being Communist sympathizers.
“The wheel has come around again,” the judge observed.
Sessions found that Mahdawi posed no public safety or flight risk. Upon his release, he is allowed to continue attending classes at Columbia in New York. Mahdawi is expected to graduate in May and has plans to pursue a graduate degree in the fall.
The judge indicated that he would provide a written order detailing the conditions of Mahdawi's release.
As Mahdawi exited the courtroom, he was greeted by a supportive crowd of several hundred, leading them in anti-war chants. He recounted that following his arrest, he was swiftly taken to the airport to be sent to an out-of-state holding facility, but narrowly missed his flight by nine minutes.
“Me standing here in front of you sends a clear message: We the people will hold the Constitution accountable for the principles that we believe in,” Mahdawi declared.
Crampton reported from Burlington, Vermont, while Cheney reported from Washington.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
Mahdawi's arrest was part of a broader crackdown on foreign students legally studying in the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has utilized a rarely invoked provision of immigration law to target certain students for deportation, claiming their presence undermines America's foreign policy interests.
Mahdawi was detained on April 14 when he attended an immigration office in Vermont for a naturalization interview.
“I am saying it clear and loud,” Mahdawi stated outside a federal courthouse shortly after U.S. District Judge William Sessions III ordered his release. “To President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you.”
While Sessions' order allows Mahdawi to remain free while his case is ongoing, it does not end the Trump administration's efforts to deport him. Judge Sessions, who was appointed by Clinton, had previously intervened to prevent immigration authorities from transferring Mahdawi to a detention facility in a more conservative judicial district, a tactic the Trump administration has employed for other detainees.
Mahdawi, originally from the West Bank, has lived in the U.S. for a decade. Holding a green card, he is considered a legal permanent resident and was nearing the completion of the process to become a U.S. citizen at the time of his arrest.
Alongside other pro-Palestinian students and faculty who have faced swift deportation proceedings during President Trump’s first 100 days, Mahdawi contends that the administration is infringing upon his First Amendment rights by targeting him for his criticisms of Israel and participation in campus protests.
Mahmoud Khalil, another leader in Columbia's pro-Palestinian movement, has been contesting his deportation by the Trump administration for nearly two months. Like Mahdawi, Khalil possesses a green card and is currently detained in Louisiana.
Additional academics facing expedited deportation include Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University researcher detained partially due to his father-in-law's past association with Hamas, and Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student known for her critical views on Israel.
All of these individuals have been classified by Rubio as detrimental to U.S. foreign policy interests. Courts are increasingly scrutinizing the deportation efforts, with one Reagan-appointed judge recently allowing a broad First Amendment challenge to proceed.
Mahdawi is thought to be the first student released from detention following Rubio’s foreign-policy classification. The departments of State and Homeland Security did not provide immediate comments when requested.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, Sessions remarked that Mahdawi, who resides in Vermont's Upper Valley, had suffered “great harm” from his two weeks of detention.
“Even another day of detention is not to be tolerated,” the judge stated.
Sessions drew parallels between the Trump administration's actions against college students based on their speech and the McCarthyism of the 1950s, which targeted academics suspected of being Communist sympathizers.
“The wheel has come around again,” the judge observed.
Sessions found that Mahdawi posed no public safety or flight risk. Upon his release, he is allowed to continue attending classes at Columbia in New York. Mahdawi is expected to graduate in May and has plans to pursue a graduate degree in the fall.
The judge indicated that he would provide a written order detailing the conditions of Mahdawi's release.
As Mahdawi exited the courtroom, he was greeted by a supportive crowd of several hundred, leading them in anti-war chants. He recounted that following his arrest, he was swiftly taken to the airport to be sent to an out-of-state holding facility, but narrowly missed his flight by nine minutes.
“Me standing here in front of you sends a clear message: We the people will hold the Constitution accountable for the principles that we believe in,” Mahdawi declared.
Crampton reported from Burlington, Vermont, while Cheney reported from Washington.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
