Washington-USA
Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian student activist at Columbia University, was released from federal custody on Wednesday following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford. The judge deemed Mahdawi’s detention without formal charges unlawful, stating that the two weeks of confinement had caused significant harm to an individual who had not been accused of any crime. Crawford further noted that continued detention could have a chilling effect on protected speech.
Mahdawi’s release marks a pivotal moment in the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses, which officials claim is aimed at combating antisemitism. While the government’s efforts to deport Mahdawi will proceed, the judge’s decision allows him to remain free during the process.
Emerging from the courthouse in Vermont, where he resides, Mahdawi addressed the crowd, wearing a keffiyeh and delivering a powerful message. “I am saying it clear and loud, to President Trump and his cabinet: I am not afraid of you,” he declared. He also spoke directly to Palestinians, saying, “I feel your pain, I see your suffering, and I see freedom, and it is very, very soon.”
Mahdawi’s release followed public support from Vermont’s congressional delegation, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Becca Balint, both of whom are Jewish. The delegation rallied on his behalf outside the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., a day before the court hearing.
Mahdawi, a permanent U.S. resident born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, has lived in the United States since 2014. He was detained earlier this month by ICE agents during what he believed was a routine appointment related to his naturalization process. His supporters argue that Mahdawi, who served as co-president of Columbia’s Palestinian Students Union, fostered dialogue between Palestinian and Israeli students and had stepped back from campus protests in recent years.
Despite the lack of formal charges, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Mahdawi’s detention, alleging that his actions undermined efforts to end the war in Gaza. Rubio also accused Mahdawi of using threatening rhetoric toward pro-Israeli bystanders, though no evidence was provided to substantiate these claims.
