ICE Targets an Anti-Israel Protester — This Time, a Hasidic Jew
The government revoked his religious worker visa after he joined an anti-Israel protest, and his lawyers say the move punishes protected religious speech.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained Yehonatan Ovadia, an Israeli citizen and Satmar Hasidic Jew, at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since August as federal officials pursue his deportation.
- The case stems from a 2023 demonstration in Ramapo, New York, where an Israeli flag was removed from town hall shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Ovadia pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2024.
- Federal authorities revoked Ovadia's religious worker visa earlier this year, denying renewal as a 'matter of discretion' citing the protest. His lawyers argue the government is conflating his religious expression with antisemitism.
- During a hearing on Wednesday, the government designated Israel as the location for his potential deportation. Ovadia's attorneys maintain he did not participate in removing the flag, arguing the state penalizes his religious interpretation of Judaism.
- This detention follows The Trump Administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism, including the 2025 detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. Critics contend these enforcement actions increasingly target political speech and religious expression.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Judge denies bail, continues detention of anti-Zionist Hasidic father in bid to deport him to Israel
Yehonatan Ovadia, a member of the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic community and outspoken opponent of the Israeli state and Gaza genocide, has been detained since August 28 and is being threatened with deportation in violation of his First Amendment rights.
Satmar member facing deportation over anti-Israel protest to stay in ICE custody
A Manhattan judge denied bail to Yehonatan Ovadia, a 35-year-old father of five and member of the anti-Zionist Satmar sect, as the Trump administration seeks his deportation over a November 2023 protest during which an Israeli flag was destroyed
Trump Administration Moves to Deport Jewish Man Who Protested Israel
The Department of Homeland Security is attempting to deport a Hasidic Jew charged with removing an Israeli flag from a town hall in New York. The post Trump Administration Moves to Deport Jewish Man Who Protested Israel first appeared on Mediaite.
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