Palestinian Columbia activist detained by DHS at citizenship interview

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian antheral progressive successful protests astatine Columbia University, was taken into custody by national agents Monday erstwhile helium arrived astatine a citizenship interrogation successful Vermont, his attorneys said successful tribunal filings. 

Mahdawi's detention comes arsenic the Trump medication fights to deport chap Columbia activistic Mahmoud Khalil.

Mahdawi's ineligible squad — which filed a petition asking for his release, claiming his detention violated the First Amendment — said they judge the Trump medication plans to region Mahdawi from the state nether an obscure instrumentality allowing deportations if the Secretary of State decides idiosyncratic poses an "adverse overseas argumentation consequences for the United States." The medication cited the aforesaid proviso to detain Khalil.

"The Trump medication detained Mohsen Mahdawi successful nonstop retaliation for his advocacy connected behalf of Palestinians and due to the fact that of his individuality arsenic a Palestinian," his attorney, Luna Droubi, alleged successful a statement. "His detention is an effort to soundlessness those who talk retired against the atrocities successful Gaza. It is besides unconstitutional."

CBS News has reached retired to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

Mohsen Mahdawi 60 Minutes

Mahdawi's lawyer Luna Droubi — who filed a petition asking for his merchandise — said successful a connection Mahdawi's ineligible squad has "not received confirmation arsenic to his whereabouts contempt galore attempts to find him." Federal Judge William Sessions temporarily barred the authorities from removing Mahdawi from Vermont.

Mahdawi was calved successful a West Bank exile campy and has been a U.S. lawful imperishable nonmigratory for the past decade, according to his lawyers. He completed a doctrine programme astatine Columbia precocious past year, and was expected to postgraduate successful May earlier seeking a master's grade from the assemblage this fall.

Khalil and Mahdawi co-founded Columbia's Palestinian Student Union successful 2023, Mahdawi's lawyers said successful tribunal documents. Khalil aboriginal spoke astatine field protests implicit Israel's warfare successful the Gaza Strip, which began aft Hamas attacked confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023.

Mahdawi has drawn attraction successful the past. Betar USA — a arguable pro-Israel radical that regularly encourages the Trump medication to detain pro-Palestinian protestation leaders — tweeted a video of Mahdawi successful January and said he's connected the organization's "deport list."

In a 2023 interrogation with CBS News' "60 Minutes," Mahdawi told Bill Whitaker astir a field rally during which an unidentified idiosyncratic yelled an antisemitic statement. Mahdawi said helium was "shocked" and told the person, "you don't correspond us." 

Mahdawi is the latest pupil to look migration detention. Khalil, who besides holds a greenish card, was detained extracurricular his Columbia-owned flat past month. The authorities is seeking his removal from the country, accusing him of supporting Hamas and participating successful "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities." When asked to supply grounds for Khalil's detention, the government cited a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that said that Khalil's relation successful protests connected the field of Columbia University is successful struggle with American overseas argumentation objectives but did not supply immoderate grounds of Khalil declaring enactment for Hamas.

Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained weeks later, with her attorneys claiming she was targeted for co-authoring an op-ed successful the pupil newspaper. 

Khalil and Ozturk are some detained successful Louisiana. A national migration justice ruled past week the authorities tin determination guardant with its propulsion to deport Khalil, but helium has until aboriginal this period to question alleviation from deportation. His lawyers person suggested they volition appeal, and he's separately suing implicit his detention. Ozturk is besides suing for her release, and her attorneys faced disconnected against the Trump medication successful a proceeding Monday. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the signifier of revoking visas, penning connected X after Khalil's arrest, "We volition beryllium revoking the visas and/or greenish cards of Hamas supporters successful America truthful they tin beryllium deported."

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.