Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist with a inexperienced card at Columbia College, was detained by federal immigration authorities on Monday when he went in for a U.S. citizenship take a look at in Vermont, his legal professionals stated.
Mahdawi co-founded the official Palestinian scholar membership on Columbia’s campus, generally known as “DAR,” with Mahmoud Khalil — one other authorized everlasting resident focused by ICE over his scholar activism.
“People ask me why I would want to become a citizen of a country committing genocide,” Mahdawi informed The Intercept of the potential of turning into a U.S. citizen in an interview simply previous to his arrest.
“I have faith in the people living in this country. The government is not the people.”
EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE: Columbia scholar and Palestinian Mohsen Madawi was simply arrested throughout a go to to the immigration workplace right here in Colchester, VT. Extra to comply with. Footage by: Christopher Helali pic.twitter.com/I9JvPS2DLn
Mahdawi, who has lived within the nation for the previous decade, sat for a prolonged interview with reporter Akela Lacy on Sunday night time, saying he feared his naturalization interview the following day may very well be a lure. The Intercept, which was first to report Mahdawi’s arrest, stated he sheltered in place for greater than three weeks after Khalil was arrested on March 8.
Mahdawi has not been accused of any particular crimes. As a substitute, the federal authorities has relied on a not often used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act to deport people who allegedly hurt U.S. international coverage pursuits. The identical clause was used towards Khalil, who was discovered by an immigration decide to be detachable from the nation on Friday.
The immigration workplace in Colchester, Vermont. (Google Maps)
Attorneys for Mahdawi will problem his detention in Vermont federal courtroom, submitting a habeas corpus petition shortly after his arrest that accused the Trump administration on violating his free speech rights. The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
There, he helped organized scholar protests at Columbia till March 2024, earlier than activists launched a tent demonstration on the campus lawns and occupied an instructional constructing, the petition stated. He gave speeches on the rallies and appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes, the place he stated that as a baby he witnessed an Israeli soldier fatally shoot his greatest good friend.
Columbia College school members collect at Amsterdam Ave. and W. 116th St. in Manhattan to protest the college’s concessions to President Donald Trump’s administration on March 24, 2025. (Barry Williams / New York Day by day Information)
The Columbia chapters of College students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace had been later suspended in reference to the Nov. 9, 2023 protest.
He completed his philosophy credit final 12 months and was anticipated to graduate subsequent month, earlier than beginning within the fall at Columbia’s worldwide affairs faculty. Columbia declined to remark, citing federal scholar privateness legal guidelines.
Mahdawi had been repeatedly focused on social media by the militant Zionist group Betar, which has claimed to have a “deport list” of pro-Palestinian scholar activists that it shares with the Trump administration.
Along with his arrest, Mahdawi grew to become at the least the third Columbia scholar with a inexperienced card to face arrest or be detained for his or her pro-Palestinian activism, together with Khalil and undergraduate Yunseo Chung. A number of extra have had their scholar visas revoked for causes that as of Monday remained unclear.
Initially Printed: April 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM EDT
