An outspoken critic of the Israel-Hamas war was arrested by immigration authorities while trying to become a citizen.
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green card holder, reportedly went to an immigration office in Vermont on Monday to complete what he thought would be the next step toward citizenship.
“Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed individuals with their faces covered,” according to a joint statement from Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, in addition to Rep. Becca Balint. “These individuals refused to provide any information as to where he was being taken or what would happen to him.”
Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont was illegally detained by ICE during what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process.
Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the US, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention. pic.twitter.com/URoGmqa7Td
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 14, 2025
He was subsequently tossed into a detention center in Colchester, Vermont, prompting his attorneys to request a temporary restraining order to prevent him from being transferred out of the state or country.
“The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian,” attorney Luna Droubi told CNN. “His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional.”
The restraining order was eventually granted by Vermont federal judge William K. Sessions III.
Critics say Mahdawi, who was the co-president of Columbia University’s Palestinian Students Union, doesn’t deserve to be targeted by the administration because he’s not antisemitic.
This belief is based on his condemnation of antisemitism during a “60 Minutes” appearance in late 2023.
Listen:
(Video Credit: 60 Minutes)
In the clip above, he recalled condemning a pro-Palestinian protester at Columbia University after he overheard the protester yelling “death to Jews.”
“I was shocked, and I walked directly to the person and I told him, ‘You don’t represent us because this is not something that we agree with,'” he said. “And I took the megaphone and I gave a speech.”
“I said, ‘We here are conscious, educated students and we know how to separate right from wrong. What this guy has said is clearly anti-Semitic against Jews… To be anti-Semitic is unjust, is unjust. And the fight for the freedom of Palestine and the fight against anti-Semitism go hand in hand because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,'” he added.
But supporters of Mahdawi’s arrest point to his tacit support of Hamas and its terrorism against Israel.
“Hamas is a product of the Israeli occupation,” he told Valley News only weeks after the Oct. 7th terror attack on Israel.
Mahdawi reportedly also helped write a statement by Columbia University’s anti-Israel groups defending Hamas’ violence.
“Palestinian struggle for freedom is rooted in international law, under which occupied peoples have the right to resist the occupation of their land,” the statement read. “If every political avenue available to Palestinians is blocked, we should not be surprised when resistance and violence breaks out.”
But it gets much worse. One of his cousins, Maysara Masharqa, served a senior role in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. According to the Washington Free Beacon, Mahdawi posted pictures to his Instagram last August honoring Mahdawi’s role as “fierce resistance fighter.”
STUDENT TIES TO TERRORISM AT COLUMBIA: Last week @Columbia student and @ColumbiaBDS leader Mohsen Mahdawi praised his “martyred” cousin and his high-ranking Hamas friends on Instagram:
“I received the news of the martyrdom of my cousin,…Masra Masharqa, after a clash with a… pic.twitter.com/URBw9oLUYu— Columbia Jewish & Israeli Students ✡️ (@CUJewsIsraelis) September 4, 2024
“Here is Mesra who offers his soul as a sacrifice for the homeland and for the blood of the martyrs as a gift for the victory of Gaza and in defense of the dignity of his homeland and his people against the vicious Israeli occupation in the West Bank,” he wrote in the past seen above.
Yet there’s still more. Back in January of 2024, he told a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University that “there’s nothing, nothing more honorable than dying for a noble cause.”
Listen:
Everything is so egregious, I don’t even know where to begin.
So let’s start with this:
Here is one of the main organizers, riling up the crowd by telling them that there is nothing more honorable than dying for a noble cause.
Where have I heard that one before? pic.twitter.com/fGlgbMRWVA
— Shai Davidai (@ShaiDavidai) January 24, 2024
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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