Overview

• Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student activist, walked across the Columbia University graduation stage just weeks after being released from ICE custody.
• Mahdawi was detained on April 14 during a citizenship interview in Vermont under a rarely used immigration law targeting political activists.
• A federal judge ordered Mahdawi's release two weeks later, criticizing the government's actions as reminiscent of McCarthyism.
• Mahdawi accused Columbia University's administration of failing to protect him and other students from federal targeting and criticized their compliance with Trump administration demands.
• His classmate and fellow activist Mahmoud Khalil remains detained in Louisiana as legal proceedings regarding his potential release continue.