Palestinian activist arrested by ICE while expecting U.S. citizenship interview

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 8:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 14 minutes ago

A Palestinian antheral who led protests against the warfare successful Gaza arsenic a pupil astatine Columbia University was arrested Monday astatine a Vermont migration bureau wherever helium expected to beryllium interviewed astir finalizing his U.S. citizenship, his attorneys said.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a ineligible imperishable nonmigratory who has held a greenish paper since 2015, was detained astatine the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services bureau successful Colchester, Vt., by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, his lawyers said.

The attorneys said they bash not cognize wherever helium is and have filed a petition successful national tribunal seeking an bid barring the authorities from removing him from the authorities oregon country.

"The Trump medication detained Mohsen Mahdawi successful nonstop retaliation for his advocacy connected behalf of Palestinians and due to the fact that of his individuality arsenic a Palestinian. His detention is an effort to soundlessness those who talk retired against the atrocities successful Gaza. It is besides unconstitutional," lawyer Luna Droubi said successful an email.

According to the tribunal filing, Mahdawi was calved successful a exile campy successful the West Bank and moved to the United States successful 2014.

He precocious completed coursework astatine Columbia successful New York and was expected to postgraduate successful May earlier opening a master's grade programme determination successful the fall.

The petition describes him arsenic a committed Buddhist who believes successful "non-violence and empathy arsenic a cardinal tenet of his religion."

Arrest 'immoral, inhumane, and illegal'

As a student, Mahdawi was an outspoken professional of Israel's subject run successful Gaza and organized field protests until March 2024.

He co-founded the Palestinian Student Union astatine Columbia with Mahmoud Khalil, different Palestinian imperishable nonmigratory of the U.S. and postgraduate pupil who precocious was detained by ICE.

Khalil was the archetypal idiosyncratic arrested nether President Donald Trump's promised crackdown connected students who joined field protests against the warfare successful Gaza.

On Friday, an migration justice successful Louisiana ruled that Khalil tin beryllium deported arsenic a nationalist information risk.

Christopher Helali, a person of Mahdawi who lives adjacent him successful Vermont, was contiguous extracurricular the migration bureau erstwhile Mahdawi was detained and recorded a video of Mahdawi being led distant by authorities.

In the video, which Helali released connected societal media Monday, Mahdawi is shown giving a bid motion with his hands and being led distant to a car.

Helali described Mahdawi arsenic a peaceful demonstrator who has worked to foster dialog astir the conflict of Palestinians successful his homeland.

Helali said helium and Mahdawi were alert that Mahdawi could beryllium detained contiguous and that his person went guardant with the assignment anyway.

"And rightfully so, helium was tense for what was going connected astir him. But helium was precise overmuch resolute successful coming to this interrogation and coming contiguous due to the fact that helium didn't bash thing incorrect and was a law-abiding citizen, oregon soon-to-be citizen," Helali said.

Vermont's legislature delegation issued a connection condemning Mahdawi's arrest, saying that alternatively of taking 1 of the last steps successful his citizenship process, helium was handcuffed by equipped officers with their faces covered.

"This is immoral, inhumane and illegal. Mr. Mahdawi, a ineligible nonmigratory of the United States, indispensable beryllium afforded owed process nether the instrumentality and instantly released from detention," said the connection from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint.