Donald Trump‘s administration has cracked down on immigration since the president took office in January. Reports of deportations have risen, and among them was Palestinian Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi. Mahdawi was being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Vermont since April 14, 2025. But with a judge’s latest order for his launch from federal custody, Mahdawi’s case has turn out to be a nationwide headline.
In response to the decide’s order for Mahdawi to be launched, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued an announcement, which learn, “It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”
McLaughlin was seemingly referring to Mahdawi’s affiliation with a Pro-Palestinian scholar group at Columbia and for talking out towards Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Upon being launched on bail on April 30, 2025, two weeks after his detainment, Mahdawi had a message for the Trump administration: “I am saying it clear and loud to President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you,” he mentioned.
Below, be taught extra about Mahdawi.
Mohsen Mahdawi Was Born in a Refugee Camp
The 34-year-old was born in a refugee camp within the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In 2014, he moved to the United States.
Mohsen Mahdawi Has Been a Legal Vermont Resident for 10 Years
After shifting to the U.S., Mahdawi grew to become a authorized resident for 10 years and lived in Hartford, Vermont.
Mohsen Mahdawi Co-Founded Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union
According to a number of retailers, Mahdawi co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with one other everlasting Palestinian U.S. resident named Mahmoud Khalil, who was additionally reportedly detained.
Mohsen Mahdawi Is Expected to Graduate in 2025
Mahdawi is predicted to graduate from Columbia in May 2025 earlier than he begins a grasp’s diploma program on the college, based on NBC5.