COLCHESTER, Vt. — A Palestinian student activist and legal U.S. resident, Mohsen Mahdawi, was arrested Monday by federal immigration agents while appearing for a citizenship interview at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Vermont, his attorneys announced.
Mahdawi, who has held a green card since 2015 and was on the cusp of completing his studies at Columbia University, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at the Colchester USCIS facility. He had anticipated a routine step in finalizing his path to U.S. citizenship but was instead taken into custody and led away in handcuffs.
Attorneys representing Mahdawi said they have not been informed of his location since the arrest and filed an emergency petition in federal court seeking to prevent his removal from the state or the country. “The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian,” said attorney Luna Droubi in a statement. “His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional.”
Born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, Mahdawi immigrated to the United States in 2014 and is described as a peaceful advocate for Palestinian rights and a committed Buddhist who practices non-violence. While at Columbia, he helped organize demonstrations opposing Israel’s military operations in Gaza and co-founded the university’s Palestinian Student Union.
His arrest comes in the wake of a similar incident involving Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian Columbia student and green card holder, who was detained last month. Khalil was recently ruled deportable by an immigration judge in Louisiana, labeled a national security threat under the Trump administration’s renewed crackdown on campus protests regarding Gaza.
A video captured by Mahdawi’s friend, Christopher Helali, shows the activist calmly flashing a peace sign as officers with covered faces led him to a waiting vehicle. Helali, who accompanied Mahdawi to the appointment, said his friend anticipated the possibility of detention but insisted on attending. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s a law-abiding citizen — or soon-to-be citizen — and he believed in facing the process with dignity,” Helali said.
Members of Vermont’s congressional delegation, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and Representative Becca Balint, sharply condemned the arrest. In a joint statement, they described the incident as “immoral, inhumane, and illegal,” and called for Mahdawi’s immediate release and full legal due process.
The arrest adds to growing concerns over the targeting of student activists amid ongoing national tensions over U.S. policy on Gaza and the broader climate of protest on American campuses.
