Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man participating in protests at Columbia University, was arrested by federal agents on Monday upon arriving for a citizenship interview in Vermont, according to his attorneys’ court filings.
Mahdawi’s arrest occurs amid the Trump administration’s efforts to deport fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahdawi’s legal team filed a petition for his release, arguing that his detention infringes on the First Amendment. They assert that the Trump administration intends to deport Mahdawi under a lesser-known law that permits removals at the discretion of the Secretary of State if an individual is deemed to pose “adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” This same provision was used to detain Khalil.
“The Trump administration’s detention of Mohsen Mahdawi is a direct retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinians and his identity as a Palestinian,” stated his attorney, Luna Droubi. “This detention serves to silence voices against the atrocities in Gaza and is unconstitutional.”
CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for their remarks on this matter.
Luna Droubi, Mahdawi’s attorney, mentioned in a statement that the legal team has “not been able to confirm his whereabouts despite repeated attempts to find him.” A federal judge, William Sessions, has temporarily restrained the government from deporting Mahdawi from Vermont.
Born in a West Bank refugee camp, Mahdawi has been a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. for the past ten years, according to his legal representatives. He completed a philosophy program at Columbia University last year and was on track to graduate in May before pursuing a master’s degree this fall.
Khalil and Mahdawi co-founded Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union in 2023, as noted in court documents. Khalil later addressed protests on campus regarding the war in the Gaza Strip, which erupted following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Mahdawi has previously garnered attention. The pro-Israel group Betar USA, which frequently advocates for the Trump administration to detain pro-Palestinian protest leaders, shared a video of Mahdawi in January, placing him on their “deport list.”
In a 2023 interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Mahdawi recounted an incident at a campus rally where an unidentified individual shouted an antisemitic remark. Mahdawi expressed his shock and responded, “you don’t represent us.”
Mahdawi is among several students facing immigration detention. Khalil, who also holds a green card, was detained outside his Columbia residence last month. The government is pursuing his deportation, accusing him of endorsing Hamas and engaging in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities.” In response to a request for evidence supporting Khalil’s detention, the government referred to a memo by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that claimed that Khalil’s involvement in campus protests contradicts American foreign policy objectives, but failed to present evidence of Khalil supporting Hamas.
Just weeks later, Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained, with her attorneys alleging she was targeted for co-authoring an op-ed in the student newspaper.
Khalil and Ozturk are currently detained in Louisiana. A federal immigration judge ruled last week that the government can proceed with efforts to deport Khalil, although he has until the end of the month to seek relief from removal. His legal team has indicated plans to appeal, and he is also filing a separate lawsuit regarding his detention. Ozturk is likewise suing for her release, with her attorneys facing the Trump administration in a hearing on Monday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has justified the practice of revoking visas, stating on X after Khalil’s arrest, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
