On April 14, 2025, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, walked into a citizenship interview in Vermont. He had lived in the U.S. for over a decade, building community and advocating for peace. He was asked if he would pledge allegiance to the United States. He said yes. Moments later, he was handcuffed and taken into federal custody.
Mahdawi’s arrest was not an isolated incident. It was part of a broader, coordinated effort by the Trump administration to silence pro-Palestinian voices on college campuses. According to a TIME report, the administration has revoked the visas of at least 300 international students for their activism [1]. Nearly a dozen students and faculty members have been detained by federal agents, with some being held in remote detention centers in Louisiana and Texas[2][3].
Mahdawi, a third-generation refugee from the al-Fari'ah camp in the West Bank, became a target. His citizenship interview, he suspected, was a “honey trap”—a pretext to arrest him. His case, and others like it, raise fundamental questions about free speech, due process, and whether advocating for Palestinian rights now makes one a target for deportation.
After 16 days in custody, a federal judge ordered Mahdawi’s release, calling the government’s case against him “questionable” [4]. But the fight is far from over. The Trump administration has appealed his release, arguing that his case represents a threat to immigration enforcement. If they succeed, it could set a dangerous precedent, stripping non-citizens of their right to habeas corpus—the right to challenge unjust detention.
This legal battle is not just about one student. It’s about the right of all people, regardless of their citizenship status, to speak out against injustice without fear of persecution. As Mahdawi himself wrote from detention, “I was detained for my beliefs. Who will be next?” [5]. While he continues to pursue his master’s degree at Columbia, his future in the country he has called home for over a decade hangs in the balance, a stark reminder of the price of speaking truth to power.
[1] TIME. (2025, April 1). These Are the Students Targeted by ICE So Far.
[2] CNN. (2025, April 2 ). What we know about the federal detention of activists.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/us/what-we-know-college-activists-immigration-hnk
[3] NPR. (2025, April 8 ). Why did ICE ship at least 4 academics it wants deported.
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5351645/ice-detention-louisiana-university-scholars
[4] ACLU. Federal Court Orders Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi Released on Bail.
[5] The New York Times. (2025, May 2 ). I Was Detained for My Beliefs. Who Will Be Next? (Opinion by Mohsen Mahdawi)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/opinion/mohsen-mahdawi-ice-detention.html
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