A Columbia protest leader was taken into custody at a citizenship interview, his lawyers say, as the Trump administration pushes to deport fellow Columbia activist Mahoud Khalil.
Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man involved in protests at Columbia University, was taken into custody by federal agents Monday when he arrived at a citizenship interview in Vermont, his attorneys said in court filings.
Mahdawi’s detention comes as the Trump administration fights to deport fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahdawi’s legal team — which filed a petition asking for his release, claiming his detention violated the First Amendment — said they believe the Trump administration plans to remove Mahdawi from the country under an obscure law allowing deportations if the Secretary of State decides someone poses an „adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.“ The administration cited the same provision to detain Khalil.
„The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian“, his attorney, Luna Droubi, alleged in a statement. „His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional.“
CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Mahdawi’s attorney Luna Droubi — who filed a petition asking for his release — said in a statement Mahdawi’s legal team has „not received confirmation as to his whereabouts despite numerous attempts to locate him.
