Mohsen Mahdawi, Columbia Student Detained by Trump Administration, Is Freed -

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1st May, USA

Palestinian Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi was freed after ICE detention, sparking backlash over the targeting of pro-Palestinian voices.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student and U.S. green card holder, has been released from immigration custody after a federal judge ordered on April 30, 2025. He was arrested by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on April 14 while he was undergoing a naturalization interview in Colchester, Vermont.

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His detention was one aspect of a more comprehensive crackdown by the Trump administration against pro-Palestinian student activists under a rarely used a rarely invoked immigration statute that argued their presence discredited U.S. foreign policy interests.

U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford ruled that Mahdawi posed no flight risk or danger to the community, emphasizing that his two-week detention had caused significant harm despite no criminal charges being filed. The judge expressed concern that the arrest appeared retaliatory, potentially infringing on Mahdawi’s First Amendment rights.

Pro-Palestinian activism in Columbia saw Mahdawi as a prominent figure, where he co-founded the Palestinian Student Union and advocated for Gaza. Leading up to March 2024, he took a step back from activism but continued conversations with Israeli peers.

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His enforcement brought support from numerous communities, including the Jewish community, Israeli students, and supporters like Senator Bernie Sanders.

While in custody, several others came to his support and poster, aiding his tagline stating “I am not afraid of you,” Mahdawi further pressed his personal strugglem along with overarching injustices in Palestine.

Currently, he is able to move freely for educati on and legal errands, his graduation from Columbia is set for May and plans to join his master’s program in the fall.

Following his release, he is still in a posted for deportation, trapping him in the middle of conflict deeply rooted in tensions of national security policies and depicted constitutional safeguards for political expression. Fellow activists, Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk are detained, awaiting the same type of support under these circumstances.