Palestinian activist arrested by ICE, looking forward to interview with U.S. citizens
A Palestinian man, who led protests against the Gaza war among a Columbia University student, was arrested Monday at the immigration office in Vermont and is expected to be interviewed about final U.S. citizenship, his lawyer said.
His attorney said Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident who has held a green card since 2015, was detained by immigration and customs law enforcement officers at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Colchester, Virginia, U.S.
Lawyers said they did not know where he was and had filed a petition in federal court for an order prohibiting the government from evacuating it from the state or state.
The Trump administration has retaliated directly against Mohsen Mahdawi for his advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians and his identity as a Palestinian. His detention was a kind of detention for those who tried to bring opposition to the atrocities in Gaza.
According to a court application, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014.
He recently completed his course in Columbia, New York, and is expected to graduate in May before starting his master’s degree program in the fall.
The petition describes him as a staunch Buddhist who believes that “nonviolence and compassion are the central purpose of his religion.”
Arrests “immoral, inhuman and illegal”
As a student, Mahdawi is an outspoken critic of Israel’s military movement in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024.
He co-founded the Palestinian Student Union in Colombia with another Palestinian permanent resident, Mahmoud Khalil, who was recently detained by ICE.
Khalil is the first person to President Donald Trump promised to suppress students who joined campus to protest against the Gaza war.
An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled Friday that it is a national security risk to deport Khalil.
Mahdawi’s friend Christopher Helali lives in Vermont, near Vermont, when Mahdawi was detained and recorded a video of it being taken away by authorities.
In a video posted on social media on Monday, Mahdawi gave the peace sign with her hands and was taken to the car.
Helali described Mahdawi as a peaceful protester who worked to foster dialogue about the Palestinian struggle in his homeland.
Helali said he and Mahdawi knew Mahdawi could be detained today and that his friends would move forward no matter what.
“It’s right, he’s nervous about what’s going on around him. But he’s firm in this interview and today’s situation because he’s done nothing wrong, he’s a law-abiding citizen, or an imminent citizen,” Helali said.
The Vermont Congress delegation issued a statement condemning Mahadawi’s arrest, saying he did not take the final step in the citizenship process but was worn by armed personnel.
“This is immoral, inhuman and illegal. U.S. law resident Mr. Mahadawi must conduct due process under the law and be immediately detained,” said a statement from Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch and Representative Becca Balint.
