Appeals court overturns release order for foreign student arrested in Vermont
The panel said Mahdawi’s detention challenge must first go through immigration court, a ruling that could limit release bids by green card holders.
- On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit overturned a lower court ruling that ordered the release of Columbia University activist Mohsen Mahdawi from immigration detention, ruling his case must proceed through immigration court instead.
- Federal agents arrested Mahdawi, a Palestinian-born lawful U.S. permanent resident, during a citizenship interview in April 2025, amid the Trump administration's broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism.
- State Secretary Marco Rubio argued Mahdawi's presence could "potentially undermine" U.S. foreign policy on the basis of "adverse foreign policy consequences," while human rights lawyers contend the government is retaliating against constitutionally protected speech.
- Previously, the Board of Immigration Appeals reinstated deportation proceedings after overturning an earlier decision by immigration judge Nina Froes, and the ruling sends the detention challenge back to the executive branch immigration court system.
- Mahdawi, who co-founded Columbia University's Palestinian Student Union, has accused the administration of "weaponising the immigration system" to silence his political views in a case closely watched for its implications on non-citizen speech rights.
43 Articles
43 Articles
An appeals court overturned Mohsen Mahdawi's release and determined that his immigration case must continue before a federal review
Appeals court reverses decision that freed pro-Palestinian Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi
A federal appeals panel has reversed a lower court decision ordering the release of pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, opening the door to the re-arrest of a student protest organizer whom the Trump administration has spent more than a year trying to deport.
Appeals Court Rules Judges Can't Block Trump's Crackdown on Pro-Hamas Foreign Students
A federal appeals court handed the Trump administration a significant legal victory Tuesday, ruling that a lower court judge overstepped when she ordered the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green card holder and Columbia University student who was arrested at his own naturalization interview last year. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit found that federal law barred the courts from intervening at that stage of immigration pro…
Appeals court overturns lower court ruling releasing anti-Israel activist
A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a lower court’s ruling ordering the Trump administration to release Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi from immigration detention, finding the lower court lacked jurisdiction to decide his case. The three-judge panel of the Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Mahdawi’s claims should first have been resolved through immigration court proceedings, rather than in federal dist…
Appeals court overturns release order of Columbia anti-Israel activist
A federal appeals court vacated a lower court order on Tuesday releasing former Columbia University graduate student and anti-Israel activist Mohsen Mahdawi from immigration detention, ruling that the district court lacked jurisdiction because his claims must be litigated through the immigration system. The decision clears the way for Mahdawi's possible re-arrest as the Trump administration continues its effort to deport him.In a unanimous opini…
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