Topline
Mohsen Mahdawi, a student at Columbia University, Palestinian and permanent U.S. resident, was detained by immigration authorities and taken into custody during his interview for naturalization in Vermont, multiple outlets reported—marking the second Columbia student to be targeted by the Trump administration.
This image taken from a video provided by Christopher Helali shows Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man … More
Key Facts
Mahdawi—who attended Columbia and plans to get his master’s degree there in the fall—was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, is a permanent resident of the U.S. and has had a green card for 10 years, according to a legal filing challenging his detention.
The legal challenge “concerns the government’s retaliatory and targeted detention and attempted removal of Mr. Mahdawi for his constitutionally protected speech,” and notes he was “was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and an activist and organizer in student protests on Columbia’s campus” until March, when he stopped organizing.
His lawyers argue detaining Mahdawi and other actions from the respondents—who are named as President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and more—“plainly violate the First Amendment, which protects [his] right to speak on matters of public concern and prevents the government from chilling constitutionally-protected speech.”
This story is developing and will be updated.
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Chief Critics
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., released a joint statement on Mahdwai’s detainment, saying it was “immoral, inhumane, and illegal.” They said Mahdawi, “a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”
Further Reading
Can Marco Rubio Revoke Mahmoud Khalil’s Green Card? What To Know About Little-Known Law Used To Justify Protester’s Arrest. (Forbes)
What We Know About Rumeysa Ozturk—Rubio Says Tufts Student Detained By ICE Had Visa Revoked (Forbes)