Detained Columbia student Mahdawi tells CBS he feared citizenship interview was "honey trap"

Just 1 time earlier Mohsen Mahdawi was detained by migration agents astatine what helium was told was his citizenship interview, the Columbia pupil and Palestinian activistic told CBS News helium thought determination was a accidental the long-awaited assignment could beryllium a trap.

"It's the archetypal feeling of like, I've been waiting for this for much than a year," Mahdawi — a autochthonal of the Israeli-occupied West Bank who has held a greenish paper for the past decennary — told CBS News connected the eve of his detention. "And the different feeling is like, hold a minute. Is this a chromatic trap?"

Mahdawi was taken into custody aft arriving astatine his interrogation successful Vermont connected Monday. CBS News witnessed national agents strapping connected vests soon aft helium walked into the building, emerging astir an hr aboriginal with Mahdawi successful handcuffs.

His attorneys accidental helium was detained nether a little-used instrumentality allowing overseas nationals to beryllium deported if they airs "serious adverse overseas argumentation consequences" — making him the latest pupil to look detention, including chap Columbia activistic and greenish paper holder Mahmoud Khalil. Mahdawi's ineligible squad has petitioned a justice to merchandise him and alleged helium is being punished for protected speech, successful usurpation of the First Amendment and his close to owed process.

Shortly aft Mahdawi's detention, national Judge William Sessions ordered the Trump administration not to deport him oregon determination him retired of the authorities of Vermont portion Sessions reviews the case, granting a petition from Mahdawi's attorneys.

The Department of Homeland Security referred a petition for remark to the State Department, which declined to comment.

Mahdawi — who says helium was acceptable to person his bachelor's grade successful doctrine successful May — co-founded Columbia's Palestinian Student Union successful 2023 on with Khalil. Mahdawi was aboriginal progressive successful protests connected Columbia's field against Israel's warfare successful Gaza, which began aft Hamas' violent onslaught launched from the Gaza Strip connected Oct. 7, 2023. His attorneys said successful a tribunal filing that Mahdawi "took a measurement back" from organizing the protests successful March 2024, before the protests escalated aboriginal that spring, with demonstrators forming encampments and occupying a field building.

The nationwide question of pro-Palestinian field protests was a governmental lightning rod, with critics arguing the demonstrations — and their leaders — were disruptive and featured antisemitic rhetoric. Columbia is 1 of respective schools to look a frost successful national backing by the Trump administration, which alleges the Ivy League schoolhouse "failed to support students and module from antisemitic unit and harassment."

Mahdawi told CBS News past play helium faced "threats" and "intimidation" aft speaking astir the protests successful a precocious 2023 "60 Minutes" interview. Shortly aft President Trump took office, helium besides drew the attraction of Betar USA, a arguable pro-Israel radical that tweeted successful January that Mahdawi was connected its "deport list."

The group's erstwhile Executive Director Ross Glick told CBS News that Betar USA has collected accusation connected thousands of pro-Palestinian activists and passed it connected to the Trump administration. He said it's up to the authorities to determine whether idiosyncratic really supports Hamas: "Once accusation is handed off, we're retired of the process, right? It's yet up to the government, the assorted officials."

Mahdawi pushed backmost connected Betar's criticism, saying groups similar Betar "manipulate information, make lies, and connect them to the profiles of those either students oregon activists." Mahdawi has vehemently denied claims of antisemitism much generally, calling them a "false accusation."

He besides told CBS News implicit the play that if he's detained by national agents, "I privation radical to cognize that my compassion extended beyond the Palestinian people. My compassion is besides for the Jewish radical and for the Israelis arsenic well."

After Khalil was detained extracurricular his Columbia-owned flat past month, Mahdawi feared helium could beryllium ensnared next. Khalil is presently held successful Louisiana, and his ineligible aboriginal is uncertain: An migration justice ruled past week the Trump medication can determination guardant with deportation but gave his lawyers until precocious April to record applications for relief. His lawyers person indicated they volition entreaty the ruling, and they are separately suing the authorities for his release.

Mahdawi told CBS News helium began taking precautions for his ain safety, including avoiding nationalist spaces, aft Khalil's detention. Still, erstwhile helium received connection of a citizenship appointment, helium chose to be — though helium suspected it whitethorn pb to his detention.

"It's an irony. The irony of destiny. And I judge the outcome," Mahdawi said a time beforehand. "If my communicative volition go different communicative for the conflict to person justness and ideology successful this country, fto it be."