Mohsen Mahadawi, organizer of the pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University last year, was taken into custody by immigrants on Monday after arriving at his appointment in Vermont, his lawyer said.
Hours later, Mahdawi's mother, sister and lawyer were rushing to find him after a sudden detention at an immigration center in Colchester, Virginia.
Vermont federal judge William K. Sessions III has swiftly admitted the request, and Mahadawi, an outspoken critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, ordered him to be taken away from the United States or moved from Vermont until he orders in other ways. His lawyer said he had confirmed as of Monday afternoon that he was still in Vermont.
“This is their MO,” said Luna Drubi, Mahdawi's lawyer. “They keep hiding individuals to the point where they can't understand or identify where their lawyers will submit. So we're working blindly and have all the information, but we're tasked with trying to submit them to the appropriate jurisdiction.”
Mahdawi, a green card holder for the past decade, is the latest Palestinian student caught up in the Trump administration's dragnet, targeting foreign students involved in organizing Palestinians on U.S. university campuses.
Mahadawi was born and raised in a West Bank refugee camp where he lived until he moved to the US in 2014, according to a petition filed by his lawyers on Monday. His arrest was first reported by interception.
He recently completed his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the General Studies School in Colombia and planned to enroll in the School of International Affairs as a master's degree student in the fall.
A Columbia representative declined to comment, citing federal student privacy regulations.
Mahadawi has not been charged with a crime. His lawyers say the Trump administration appears to be seeking removal from the country under the same legal provisions it uses to detain Colombian students and Palestinians Mahmoud Khalil, who argues his existence is a threat to US foreign policy and national security interests. Immigration officers argued that pro-Palestinian demonstrators allowed the spread of anti-Semitism, but they did not provide evidence to demonstrate their claims.
Mahdawi, who is in his mid-30s after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, co-founded with DAR: Columbia University's Palestinian Student Association and Khalil, according to his lawyer's petition to “celebrate Palestinian culture, history and identity.” He also helped find the apartheid dibust at Columbia University. Apartheid found a broader coalition that led many pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus and led the university to sell from Israel.
However, Mahadawi took a step back from the student organised in March 2024 before the campus campus campus acquisition and the acquisition of Hamilton Hall, the campus building. In an interview at the time, he said this was driven in part by his immigrant status and his beliefs as a Buddhist. For two years he was president of the Society of Buddhism at Columbia University.
He spoke publicly about his childhood experiences of seeing his best friend killed by Israeli soldiers in a “60 Minutes” interview in December 2023.
“My motivation now comes from love, not from anger, not from hatred,” he said in an interview.
Like Halil, several hard-line pro-Israel groups have been upset online since President Trump returned to the White House due to Mahdawi's detention and deportation.
One of these groups, Betar USA, posted on January 30th to X, “Visa Holder Mohsen Mahdawi is on our overseas list.” In March they repeated, “Mohsen Mahdawi is next on the list abroad.”
He was also featured by Canary Mission. Prohama is a separate group that calls students to take action against the people they assert.
On Monday morning, Mahdawi appeared for an interview where he was said to be related to naturalization. Instead, some people have their face coverings. Mahdowy was arrested for handcuffs, according to a statement from two Vermont senators, independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Peter Welch and Democrat Becca Ballint.
Mahadawi, who has a permanent address in White River Junction, Virginia, had sought help from lawmakers before his appointment, fearing the worst.
They condemned his arrest and demanded his release.
“This is immoral, inhuman and illegal,” the three lawmakers said in a statement. “Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be given due process under the law and be released from custody immediately.”
Jonah E. Bromwich Reports of contributions.
