US Edition
Judge rules Mohsen Mahdawi can attend Columbia graduation
- A federal judge in Vermont ruled that Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, can attend his graduation ceremony on May 21, 2025, in New York.
- Mahdawi was arrested in mid-April during what he believed was a naturalization interview and detained for two weeks in a Vermont prison amid federal deportation attempts tied to his on-campus activism.
- The court received over 90 letters and statements from Vermont community members, experts, and professors, many Jewish, supporting Mahdawi's character and permitting him to travel to New York between May 15 and May 25 for commencement events.
- Judge Geoffrey Crawford likened the government's recent arrests of immigrant student demonstrators to the historical Red Scare era, and he permitted Mahdawi to freely engage with officials, participate in protests, and speak publicly, despite federal accusations that he posed a threat to U.S. Foreign policy.
- The ruling defies the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Mahdawi and underscores ongoing tensions around activism, immigration, and human rights at Columbia and within the wider community.
11 Articles
11 Articles
‘They Want to Silence Me’: Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi Speaks After Jailing
Mahdawi, a green card holder who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, was arrested in Vermont on April 14 when he appeared for what he was told would be a citizenship interview, and spent more than two weeks in U.S. immigration custody, where he was held in retaliation…
Now Free, Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi Discusses His Experience in ICE Jail
In his first live interview since his release from ICE detention, Columbia University student and Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi recounts the traumatic experience of his arrest and incarceration. Mahdawi, a green card holder who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, was arrested in Vermont on April 14 when he appeared for what he was told would be a citizenship… Source
“They Want to Silence Me”: Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi on ICE Jail, Palestine, Activism, Buddhism
In his first live interview since his release from ICE detention, Columbia University student and Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi recounts the traumatic experience of his arrest and incarceration. Mahdawi, a green card holder who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, was arrested in Vermont on April 14 when he appeared for what he was told would be a citizenship interview, and spent more than two weeks in U.S. immig
Mohsen Mahdawi can travel from Vermont to attend Columbia University graduation, judge rules - The Boston Globe
Mohsen Mahdawi was one of several international students targeted by the Trump administration as part of a crackdown on what it considers antisemitic activity on college campuses.
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