Overview

• Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student and legal permanent U.S. resident, was arrested on April 14 during a citizenship interview in Vermont as part of a crackdown on international student activism.
• U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered Mahdawi’s release on April 30, citing violations of his First and Fifth Amendment rights and rejecting claims that he posed a public safety threat.
• Federal prosecutors have appealed the release to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that Mahdawi’s activism threatens U.S. foreign policy and merits deportation.
• The case includes allegations from 2015 that Mahdawi expressed antisemitic sentiments at a Vermont gun shop, which Mahdawi denies; the FBI investigated but closed the case without charges.
• Mahdawi, who co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia, has framed his detention as retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian human rights and a violation of constitutional protections.