Vermont judge blasts Trump deportation campaign as he frees Columbia University Palestinian activist

A Vermont federal judge ordered Wednesday that Mohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian student activist from Columbia University who was arrested at his U.S. citizenship test, be released from immigration detention on bail while his case proceeds.

Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, went in for his naturalization interview on April 14, but was instead detained by federal immigration authorities. His attorneys immediately filed a habeas corpus petition that accused the Trump administration of arresting him for exercising his free-speech rights.

In a scathing order, U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford said Mahdawi was not a flight risk nor a danger to society, citing his strong ties to Vermont, studies at Columbia and eagerness to pursue American citizenship — even at risk of being detained.

He also argued that Mahdawi’s release was in the public interest because his continued detention would likely have a “chilling effect” on constitutionally protected free speech.

“Legal residents — not charged with crimes or misconduct — are being arrested and threatened with deportation for stating their views on the political issues of the day,” he wrote. “Our nation has seen times like this before, especially during the Red Scare.”

The federal government has accused Mahdawi of being a threat to U.S. foreign policy, which his lawyers deny, saying that he was advocating for Palestinian human rights under the First Amendment.

Outside the courthouse in Burlington, Vermont, Mahdawi welcomed the ruling from the bench: “Against all of the heinous accusations, horrible attacks, chills of speech, First Amendment violations, he has made a very brave decision to let me out. And this is what justice is.”

Mahdawi exited the court with a keffiyeh draped over his suit and his two hands in peace signs, where he was greeted by supporters and reporters with their cameras and microphones. The crowd carried Palestinian flags and signs, including one to “Abolish ICE.”

“I’m saying it clear and loud to President (Donald) Trump and his Cabinet: I’m not afraid of you,” Mahdawi said.

Later that afternoon, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security released a statement stressing that it was a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States.

In court filings, the federal government pointed to an FBI interview concerning violent, antisemitic remarks Mahdawi had allegedly made to a gun shop owner. Mahdawi and his lawyers vehemently denied the claims, and there were no charges or action against him.

“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law to our immigration system. No judge, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that,” McLaughlin said.

The government requested the court pause Mahdawi’s release for a week by issuing a stay of the order while they appeal, which the judge rejected. Mahdawi was ordered by the court to reside in Vermont, though he is permitted to travel to New York for “educational purposes” or to meet with his lawyers.

Mahdawi, 34, was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, where his family still lives. He co-founded Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, another green card holder detained for his role in the campus protests. Mahdawi’s direct involvement in the Columbia demonstrations came to an end before the high-profile encampments of last spring, according to court documents.

He is expected to graduate from Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy this semester, before starting a master’s program in international relations in the fall.

Mahdawi had feared his U.S. citizenship test was a trap, alerting his government representatives to his situation before his arrest and doing an interview with the progressive news outlet The Intercept. He told reporters on Wednesday that federal authorities seemingly “had a plan” and “orchestrated” his detention.

He said the agents processed him before heading to an airport, where they just missed a flight out of Vermont by nine minutes. In the meantime, another Vermont federal judge, William Sessions III, ordered that he remain in the state while his case plays out.

Mahdawi had been detained in the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.

His attorneys said they would continue to defend his constitutional right to speak out against Israel’s war in Gaza and fight his immigration case.

“They were trying to silence Mohsen’s speech solely because he dared to speak about his people, about the atrocities that are going on, and he had the audacity to say it loudly,” said Luna Droubi, one of Mahawi’s lawyers and a partner at Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP. “The judge saw right through it.”

Back in New York City, local immigration advocates celebrated the judge’s decision.

“The government’s case should now be thrown out, and Mahdawi should be allowed to move forward with his citizenship application and continue with his studies,” said Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition in a statement. “All of Trump’s other similarly detained political prisoners must be freed as well. The weaponization of the State Department must end.”