Columbia University student activist Mohsen Mahdawi released on bail in Vermont

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on Apr 30, 2025

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A Vermont federal judge ordered Wednesday that Mohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian student activist from Columbia University who was detained at his U.S. citizenship test, be released from federal immigration detention while his case proceeds.

Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, went in for his naturalization interview on April 14, but was instead arrested by federal immigration authorities. His attorneys immediately filed a habeas corpus petition that accused the Trump administration of attempting to deport him on free speech grounds.

Outside the courthouse Wednesday, Mahdawi welcomed U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford’s ruling: “Against all of the heinous accusations, horrible attacks, chills of speech, First Amendment violations, he has made a very brave decision to let me out. And this is what justice is.”

The federal government has accused Mahdawi of being a threat to U.S. foreign policy, which his lawyers deny. His direct involvement in the Columbia demonstrations came to an end before the high-profile encampments of last spring, according to court documents.

Mahdawi was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, where his family still lives. He co-founded Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, another green card holder detained for his role in the campus protests, and is expected to graduate from Columbia with a degree in philosophy next month.

His attorneys said they would continue to challenge the legality of his detention for speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza and fight his immigration case.

“I’m saying it clear and loud to President Trump and his Cabinet: I’m not afraid of you,” Mahdawi said from outside the court.