Columbia Student Arrested During Citizenship Test in Escalating Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Activists

Mohsen Mahdawi's detention marks the latest in a series of arrests targeting activists under rarely used U.S. immigration regulations.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist, was detained in Vermont while taking a citizenship test.
Authorities allege Mahdawi and Machmud Chalil, another detained activist, co-founded a pro-Palestinian group seen as a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests.
The Trump administration is employing an infrequently used regulation allowing deportation proceedings against individuals deemed foreign policy risks.
Machmud Chalil, arrested in March, and a Turkish doctoral student detained near Boston, have also been transferred to a detention center in Louisiana.
Senator Bernie Sanders condemned Mahdawi's arrest, calling it immoral, inhuman, and unconstitutional, as legal challenges to these actions intensify.