Judge drops deportation case against Pro-Palestinian protester

An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and pro‑Palestinian activist who was arrested last year during a US citizenship interview in Vermont. According to court filings cited by his lawyers on Tuesday, the judge terminated the case after finding the government had not adequately supported its claims with admissible evidence.

Judge Nina Froes ruled that the evidence submitted by the administration was not admissible because it did not “meet its burden of proving removability.” The judge found the government failed to properly certify an official State Department document that appeared to bear the signature of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Mahdawi’s legal team said the case was terminated on that basis. While the ruling prevents Mahdawi, 35, from being deported on the initial set of charges, the administration could still appeal the decision or seek to bring a new case on other grounds.

“I am grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law and holding the line against the government’s attempts to trample on due process,” Mahdawi said Tuesday, according to a statement from his lawyers. He added that the decision was an important step toward protecting the right to speak for peace and justice, framing his case as a test of free expression for critics of Israel and advocates for Palestinian rights.

Mahdawi, a Palestinian green card holder, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April last year after attending a naturalization interview in Colchester, Vermont, and was held for more than two weeks without being charged with a crime. He was detained under a provision of immigration law that the government argued could be used where a noncitizen’s activities were considered contrary to US foreign policy interests, a characterization his lawyers strongly disputed. Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, Mahdawi moved to the US in 2014, according to court documents and statements from his attorneys. He enrolled at Columbia University in 2021, where he helped organize pro‑Palestinian demonstrations and became a prominent campus activist, according to his supporters. His lawyers argued his arrest was retaliatory and “part of a policy intended to silence and chill the speech of those who advocate for Palestinian human rights,” allegations the government has denied. He was later released on bail after filing a habeas petition in Vermont, and the administration’s appeal of that bail decision remains pending.

Civil liberties groups say Mahdawi’s case is one of several recent high‑profile immigration actions against students and activists who have criticized Israel or supported Palestinian causes, raising concerns about selective enforcement and political retaliation. Immigration judges operate under the Justice Department, which oversees the immigration court system and has faced growing scrutiny over its handling of politically sensitive deportation cases.