Palestinian Columbia Student Fights Deportation in Federal Appeal
The challenge targets a US Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision that reinstated deportation proceedings against Mahdawi after an immigration court judge initially dismissed the government's case in February over inadequate documentation. A parallel federal court proceeding has thus far shielded him from re-arrest while the appeals process unfolds.
"I come from a refugee camp in Palestine, where my family still resides. I know what it means to live without rights, without voice, without safety. America was the first place I ever felt true freedom and dignity," Mahdawi said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the organizations leading his defense.
"For over a decade, I have built my life here, loved this community, and chosen this country's ideals as my own. That is the country I chose -- and now the administration is abusing immigration law to silence me for speaking the truth about Palestinian suffering and genocide," he added.
Mahdawi, a prominent organizer of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, was apprehended by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in April 2025 during a routine citizenship interview and held for 16 days before being released on bail following a habeas petition filed in the US District Court for the District of Vermont, in which he contended his detention was retaliatory and violated constitutionally protected speech rights.
After the immigration court dismissed charges against him, federal prosecutors appealed successfully to the BIA, which reversed the ruling and revived deportation proceedings. Mahdawi's legal team subsequently informed the immigration judge that he would not pursue asylum, choosing instead to contest the effort to revoke his lawful permanent resident status. A new removal order was issued against him last Wednesday.
Attorney Cyrus Mehta of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners, PLLC, condemned the trajectory of the case. "The original immigration judge correctly dismissed Mohsen's immigration case before she had been fired, and the government cynically appealed the case within the Trump administration-controlled immigration court system, knowing that the BIA would reverse," he said. "We look forward to vindicating Mohsen's First Amendment rights in the First Circuit Court of Appeals as well as the First Amendment rights of all other noncitizens living in the United States," he added.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
