Columbia student who was arrested at citizenship interview is freed

Mohsen Mahdawi, an organizer of the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia University, was freed from federal custody Wednesday as immigration officials seek to rescind his green card as part of a widening crackdown against student protesters.

In ruling to release Mahdawi on bail, Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford of U.S. District Court in Vermont found Wednesday that he did not pose a danger to the public and that he was not a flight risk. The judge drew parallels between the current political climate and McCarthyism, saying it was “not our proudest moment.”

The immigration case against Mahdawi will continue, his lawyers said, but he will now be able to fight it from outside a detention facility.

Mahdawi’s release is a defeat for the Trump administration, although other students remain in detention as part of the government’s campaign.

The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has argued that protesters like Mahdawi have spread antisemitism, while demonstrators say criticism of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip is not antisemitic.

Rubio has said that immigration authorities have the right to eject even legal residents from the country for protest activities that the government says harm America’s foreign policy interests.

Mahdawi struck a defiant tone after his release.

“I am saying it clear and loud, to President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you,” he said.

Mahdawi, 34, had been in custody since April 14, when immigration officials detained him at an appointment in Vermont that he thought was a step toward becoming a U.S. citizen.

In granting the release of Mahdawi, a Vermont resident, Crawford cited his extensive ties to his community. He noted that the court had received more than 90 submissions from community members, academic experts and professors who know Mahdawi, “many of them Jewish,” attesting to his character and consistently describing him as “peaceful.”

The Burlington courtroom was packed Wednesday with supporters of Mahdawi, who remained hushed as the judge issued his order. A few began clapping as Mahdawi was allowed to collect his belongings and leave immediately.

Dressed in a plaid suit and wearing gold wire-rimmed glasses, Mahdawi draped a kaffiyeh around his shoulders. As he walked out of the courthouse to a jubilant reception, he raised his hands in the peace sign.

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