A Columbia University student, Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested by masked immigration agents after a naturalisation interview in Vermont, has been freed from detention while his case continues.
On Wednesday, US District Judge Geoffrey Crawford stated that Mahdawi’s two-week detention “so far demonstrates great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime.”
Mahdawi’s release comes with some conditions: He must stay in his home state of Vermont, though he is allowed to travel to New York City for his schooling and to meetings with his attorneys.
What Mahdawi said outside court?
After the judge’s statement, Mahdawi struck a defiant tone and gave a loud and clear message to Donald Trump.
“I am saying it clear and loud, to President Trump and his cabinet: I am not afraid of you,” he said.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NPR, “The Trump Administration is committed to restoring the rule of law to our immigration system. No judge, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that.”
McLaughlin emphasised that green card status is a privilege.
Who is Mohsen Mahdawi?
Mahdawi is a green-card holder and lawful permanent U.S. resident who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
He had been a vocal leader in the anti-Israel protests on Columbia’s campus, which likely drew the attention of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Mahdawi, who led the Palestinian student union at Columbia, has been a target of criticism and scrutiny due to his pro-Palestinian activism.
The administration claims Mahdawi’s presence undermines their antisemitism prevention efforts.
His legal team maintains he was detained in response to exercising free speech rights during campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza last year.
