Mahdawi, a Palestinian student activist, faced deportation proceedings amid a crackdown on protests under the Trump administration.
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A U.S. immigration judge has ruled against an effort under President Donald Trump to deport Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who was arrested last year while protesting against Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip.
The ruling, handed down on February 13, was made public as part of Tuesday’s court filing from Mahdawi’s lawyers.
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The complaint was filed with the federal appeals court in New York, which is considering a challenge from the Trump administration to Mahdawi’s release from custody.
In a public statement released through the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Mahdawi expressed gratitude for the immigration court’s decision, which he called a strike in support of free speech.
“We are grateful to the court for respecting the rule of law and drawing the line against the government’s attempts to trample on due process,” Mahdawi said. “This decision is an important step toward preserving what terror sought to destroy: the right to speak for peace and justice.”
But the ACLU suggested the immigration court’s decision was made “without prejudice,” a legal term that means the Trump administration could refile the case against Mahdawi.
Mahdawi, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, is a legal permanent resident who has lived in Vermont for 10 years.
He enrolled at Columbia University, a prestigious Ivy League university, to study philosophy. But he was also a prominent member of the campus’ activist community, co-founding the Palestinian Student Association with classmate Mahmoud Khalil.
Colombia became the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests in 2024, and President Trump campaigned for re-election, including cracking down on the demonstrations.
Khalil became the first student protester to be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last March, less than three months into President Trump’s second term.
Then, on April 14, Mahdawi was arrested at a meeting set up by the government to process citizenship applications.
The ACLU said in a statement at the time that ICE detained him in “direct retaliation for his defense of Palestinian rights.”
The Trump administration attempted to extradite Mahdawi to Louisiana, but a court order ultimately blocked the move.
Mahdawi was finally released on April 30 after U.S. Judge Jeffrey Crawford accused the Trump administration of causing “grave harm” to a person who had committed no crime.
Human rights activists have described the Trump administration’s attempt to deport foreign-born student activists as a campaign to chill free speech.
After his release last year, Mahdawi walked off the court with his hands in the air and flashing a peace sign as supporters cheered him.
During his speech, he had a message for Mr. Trump. Mahdawi told Trump: “I’m not afraid of you.”
He also addressed the Palestinian people and sought to dispel the perception that the student movement was anything but peaceful.
“We are pro-peace and anti-war,” Mahdawi explained. “To my people in Palestine: I feel your pain, I see your suffering, and I see freedom, and it’s coming soon.”
Mahdawi’s arrest was part of a broader push by the Trump administration to target visa holders and permanent residents for pro-Palestinian advocacy.
President Trump is also pressuring top universities to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests in the name of combating anti-Semitism. In some cases, the Trump administration has launched raids on campuses marked by pro-Palestinian protests, citing civil rights violations.
Last July, Columbia University entered into a $200 million settlement with the Trump administration, giving it an additional $21 million to conclude an investigation into allegations of religion-based harassment.
However, the university denied any wrongdoing.
