Overview

• Twenty-six Israeli citizens, many linked to Columbia University, urged the appeals court to recognize Mohsen Mahdawi as a campus peacemaker and said his arrest chilled their speech and dialogue efforts.
• Mahdawi, a Palestinian U.S. permanent resident, was taken into ICE custody on April 14 during what he believed was the final step of his naturalization process.
• Court filings by his attorneys describe the interview as a trap in which masked, visibly armed agents entered the room and shackled him.
• U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release on bail in late April, finding continued confinement caused great harm to someone charged with no crime.
• In its appeal, the government cites a foreign‑policy determination attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a DHS spokesperson defended revoking status for those who advocate violence, while Mahdawi prepares to resume master’s classes this semester.