Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested by federal agents Monday while he was in a naturalization interview at an immigration office in Vermont.
Mahdawi, a Palestinian student and green-card holder, was arrested by agents with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Colchester, Vt., according to a court filing.
Mahdawi was a leader in the pro-Palestinian protests last spring, making him the latest such activist targeted by the Trump administration. The first and most prominent foreign-born student demonstrator now in immigration custody, Mahmoud Khalil, also attended Columbia.
“The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian. His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional,” attorney Luna Droubi said.
The court filing said Mahdawi was targeted by a pro-Israel organization called Betar US, which said on social media that “visa holder Mohsen Mahdawi is on our deport list.”
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