Immigration officials arrested Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian student activist, while he arrived at an appointment with his lawyers on April 14. The lawyers said that the meeting was intended to help Mahdawi further his process of becoming a U.S. citizen.
On Monday morning, Mahdawi showed up to discuss his naturalization process with his lawyers but was met by immigration officers, as shown in a video posted by X user Christopher Helali. Some of the officers concealed their identities by donning masks.
Mohsen Mahdawi was held at an immigration center in Colchester, Vermont. Mahdawi’s lawyers asked for a temporary restraining order protecting him from being transferred to a more conservative region. William K. Sessions III granted the restraining order request with haste, declaring that Mohsen Mahdawi was not to be transferred out of Vermont or the United States until the judge ordered so.
Mahdawi’s lawyer, Luna Droubi, said, “They just continue to hide the individual to the point where their attorneys can’t quite understand or identify where to file. And so, you know, we’re operating blind, and they have all the information, and yet we’re tasked with attempting to file in the right jurisdiction.”
Although Mahdawi has been a green card holder for the past 10 years, he was arrested for pro-Palestinian activism, similar to other students on university campuses.
According to the New York Times, the specifics about Mahdawi’s academic career are protected by student privacy laws, as stated by representatives of Columbia University. Mahdawi is finishing his undergraduate degree in philosophy and plans to be a graduate student majoring in international affairs.
Mahdawi reached out to three government officials before this appointment: Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch and Becca Balint. Mahdawi did this to notify them of his situation and get them to intervene should anything happen.
Per The Intercept, Mahdawi made a statement saying the U.S. government is not just hurting protests, but chilling free speech as a whole. “That’s why they’re crushing universities now, it’s not only about Palestine,” Mahdawi said.
This is a developing story.
