Mohsen Mahdawi

Mohsen Mahdawi is a Palestinian lawful permanent resident, longtime Vermont resident, and Columbia University student organizer who was arrested by ICE in April 2025 when he appeared for what he had been told was a routine naturalization interview, then rushed into deportation proceedings under an obscure “foreign policy” provision that allows removal based on the Secretary of State’s claim that a noncitizen’s presence has adverse foreign policy consequences. The government relied on this provision, along with a broader Trump-era campaign framed as combating “antisemitism” on campus, to target Mohsen after he became a visible leader in Columbia protests opposing Israel’s war on Gaza and advocating for Palestinian freedom, even citing his role in these demonstrations and his political speech as grounds to justify detention and removal.

Represented by CLEAR and co-counsel, Mohsen filed a habeas petition in federal court challenging his arrest, detention, and threatened deportation as unconstitutional retaliation for his protected speech, arguing that the government was attempting to make an example of him to chill Palestine solidarity organizing and punish noncitizen students who criticize U.S. and Israeli policy. The petition raised First Amendment and Due Process claims, challenged the government’s use of the “foreign policy” removal statute in this context, and described the extraordinary steps ICE and the Trump administration took to conceal his transfer, separate him from his community, and silence his political voice.

In a significant rebuke to this effort, a federal district court quickly issued a temporary restraining order blocking Mohsen’s removal, then ordered his release on bail after finding that his continued detention was unlawful and that his case raised serious constitutional concerns about retaliatory immigration enforcement. With ongoing advocacy from CLEAR, community organizing, and support from elected officials and civil rights groups, an immigration judge later dismissed the deportation case against him, confirming that the government could not use immigration law to strip him of his home and future in the United States simply because of his outspoken support for Palestinian rights. Mohsen’s case now stands as a landmark example of how aggressive “foreign policy” and “national security” tools can be abused to target campus protest, and how coordinated litigation, movement organizing, and public pressure can push back against attempts to criminalize and deport students for their political speech.