Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was freed from U.S. immigration custody Wednesday after a federal judge blocked his deportation, calling the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism reminiscent of the Red Scare.
Mahdawi, who grew up in a West Bank refugee camp, was detained earlier this month while attending a U.S. citizenship interview. A judge quickly barred officials from deporting him or moving him out of Vermont.
After two weeks behind bars, Mahdawi walked out of a Burlington courthouse following U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford’s ruling that he was neither a danger nor a flight risk. Crawford compared the administration’s tactics to McCarthy-era political persecution, dealing a blow to its campaign to expel foreign students over Palestine activism.
“I’m not afraid of you, Trump,” Mahdawi declared outside the courthouse, surrounded by cheering protesters waving Palestinian flags. He called the ruling a “light of hope” for faith in U.S. justice.
The Trump administration has argued that visa and green card holders supporting Palestinian causes threaten foreign policy. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Mahdawi of “advocating violence” and vowed to revoke his status, insisting: “No judge will stop us.”
Meanwhile, other pro-Palestinian students remain detained as the legal battle continues.