Chicago – April 30, 2025
Mohsen Mahdawi, a student at Columbia University, has been let out of detention after being held for two weeks by immigration agents. He was taken into custody by masked officers right after a naturalization interview in Vermont. Mahdawi has not been charged with any crime.
U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release, saying that holding Mahdawi for so long without charges had caused him “great harm.” People in the courtroom quietly cried and held hands as the judge spoke, according to a reporter from Vermont Public Radio.
Outside the courthouse, Mahdawi thanked his supporters and said his release shows that “we, the people, will hold the Constitution accountable for the principles and values that we believe in.”
Mahdawi can now stay at his home in Vermont. He’s also allowed to travel to New York City for school and to meet with his lawyers.
Mahdawi is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank. His lawyers say he was arrested because he spoke out for Palestinian rights during protests at his university last year.
They said there is still a long way to go with the case but were happy with the judge’s ruling.
Government officials have not said much, repeating the same statement they gave after Mahdawi’s radio interview earlier this week.
