Who Is Mohsen Mahdawi, Palestinian Student Detained At Citizenship Interview

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student and legal US resident at Columbia University, was detained by immigration officials during his citizenship interview in Vermont.

15 Apr 2025, 05:43 · NDTV

A Palestinian student at Columbia University has become the second individual from the institution in recent weeks to be detained by US immigration authorities. Mohsen Mahdawi was detained while attending what was supposed to be a routine naturalisation interview in Vermont, according to multiple reports.

Who Is Mohsen Mahdawi?

Mohsen Mahdawi is a Palestinian student at Columbia University and a permanent US resident. He was taken into custody by immigration authorities during his naturalisation interview in Vermont.

Mr Mahdawi has held a US green card since 2015. Born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, he moved to the United States in 2014. He was granted permanent residency in 2015 and has since pursued his academic career.

He recently completed his undergraduate coursework at Columbia and was set to graduate in May, with plans to begin a master's programme at the university in autumn.

But those plans came to a halt last week when he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during what should have been his final step towards becoming a US citizen.

Known for his campus activism, Mr Mahdawi co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia alongside Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian student who was also detained by ICE, according to AP. Until March 2024, Mr Mahdawi played a visible role in organising protests against Israeli occupation and military actions in Gaza.

Court documents describe Mr Mahdawi as a practising Buddhist who follows principles of “non-violence and empathy as a central tenet of his religion.”

Allegations Of Political Targeting

Mr Mahdawi's detention was not just bureaucratic but retaliatory in nature, according to a filing reported by Forbes. The case “concerns the government's retaliatory and targeted detention and attempted removal of Mr Mahdawi for his constitutionally protected speech,” the filing claims.

His legal team, led by Luna Droubi, said as of the evening of April 14, they were yet to receive a formal explanation for his detention.

A temporary restraining order has been issued, preventing federal authorities from relocating Mr Mahdawi out of Vermont while legal proceedings continue.

Public And Political Outcry

US lawmakers, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and Representative Becca Balint — all from Vermont — released a joint statement condemning Mr Mahdawi 's detention. They called it “immoral, inhumane, and illegal,” Forbes reported.

They added that Mr Mahdawi, “a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”

Christopher Helali, a close friend of Mr Mahdawi, echoed these concerns. Mr Helali told AP that he was a peaceful protester who consistently sought to encourage dialogue around the Palestinian cause.

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