Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi calls his detention a "betrayal"

Detained activistic speaks retired aft merchandise

Palestinian pupil explains wherefore helium challenged Trump aft release: "You volition not soundlessness me" 02:17

A Columbia pupil activistic and greenish paper holder who was detained erstwhile helium went for a citizenship interrogation past period said President Trump "will not soundlessness me," successful an interrogation with CBS News from Vermont connected Monday.

Mohsen Mahdawi's comments marked his archetypal web interrogation since a justice ordered his merchandise past week — a determination Mahdawi called a "light of hope" to different pupil activists who person been detained, similar Columbia's Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University's Rumeysa Ozturk

Shortly aft Mahdawi's release, helium addressed a radical of supporters, saying of Mr. Trump and his Cabinet, "I americium not acrophobic of you." Mahdawi told CBS News helium addressed Mr. Trump straight due to the fact that "there is this doctrine of intimidation, of punitive justness … truthful I wanted to stock to them that you tin bash immoderate you want. You volition not soundlessness me."

"I americium a peacemaker. And erstwhile they arrested me, that is simply a reddish emblem to everybody," Mahdawi besides said.

Mahdawi was successful custody for astir 2 weeks. He told CBS News helium arrived for his citizenship assignment successful Vermont successful mid-April, took a citizenship trial and signed a papers that said helium is consenting to pledge allegiance to the Constitution. Toward the extremity of that process, helium said migration agents entered the bureau and detained him. Mahdawi said helium does not cognize wherefore they waited, alternatively of taking him into custody arsenic soon arsenic helium arrived.

"What I cognize is this is simply a betrayal to the Constitution of this state and to the process," Mahdawi said. "I've done everything the close way. I've gone done the process. … I've applied the close way. I showed up for my interview. I shared and answered each of the questions honestly. And I said I americium consenting to support and support the Constitution of this country."

Mahdawi, who helped pb Columbia's protests against the Israel-Hamas warfare starting successful 2023, was detained nether a seldom utilized instrumentality allowing the authorities to revoke visas for radical the Secretary of State believes could airs "adverse overseas argumentation consequences." 

Mahdawi said helium recovered the Trump administration's rationale for detaining him "laughable." 

"A idiosyncratic who has been vocally advocating for justness and bid is undermining U.S. policy?," helium said to CBS News connected Monday.

Mahdawi is 1 of respective pupil activists to look detention. Fellow Columbia activistic Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts pupil Rumeysa Ozturk, who co-wrote a pro-Palestinian op-ed successful the field newspaper, were detained successful March nether the aforesaid ineligible grounds alleging the hazard of "adverse overseas argumentation consequences." Both students are separately suing for their release. 

A missive calling for Mahdawi's deportation and signed by Rubio reads, "Mahdawi has been identified astatine those protests arsenic having engaged successful threatening rhetoric and intimidation of pro-Israeli bystanders. But successful a video from November 2023 obtained by CBS News, Mahdawi is seen starring a assemblage chanting "shame connected you" to denounce a protester who made an antisemitic comment. He besides told CBS News successful an interrogation past month, "We made it precise wide that our question is astir justice, and antisemitism has nary spot successful our movement." 

The Trump medication has defended the signifier of taking distant visas. In a connection past month, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricial McLaughlin said green cards and visas are a "privilege."

"When you advocator for violence, glorify and enactment terrorists that relish the sidesplitting of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should beryllium revoked, and you should not beryllium successful this country," McLaughlin added.

Mahdawi has denied allegations of antisemitism and has said helium took a measurement backmost from the protests earlier demonstrators formed encampments connected Columbia's field and occupied a schoolhouse building, drafting nationwide attraction and criticism. 

He sued successful national court for his merchandise hours aft his detention, with his lawyers arguing the determination violated his First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release from national custody past Wednesday, penning that Mahdawi had "made important claims that his detention is the effect of retaliation for protected speech."

The lawsuit is inactive unfastened arsenic Crawford reviews Mahdawi's petition for habeas corpus. 

An appeals tribunal volition reappraisal Mahdawi and Ozturk's cases Tuesday.

Mahdawi said aft helium near custody, helium "was reassured successful my bosom of the content that justness volition prevail … and the justness strategy is functioning."

He besides says helium plans connected continuing to protest. "I wasn't acrophobic erstwhile they detained me. I was not acrophobic erstwhile I got retired of detention. And I'm not acrophobic to stock my voice," helium said.