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.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Israeli Hasidic Anti-Zionist Activist Faces Deportation After ICE Detention Over Status Dispute Tied to Protest
Israeli Hasidic Anti-Zionist Activist Faces Deportation After ICE Detention Over Status Dispute Tied to Protest By: Yisroel David An Israeli Hasidic man who participated in anti-Israel demonstrations alongside members of the vehemently anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement is facing possible deportation to Israel after federal immigration authorities detained him and declined to extend his legal status […]
Report: ICE Detains Hasidic Israeli Who Took Part in Neturei Karta Anti-Israel Protests
NEW YORKM (VINnews) – A Hasidic Israeli man who participated in anti-Israel protests alongside members of Neturei Karta is facing deportation from the United States after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Yehonatan Ovadia, 35, an Orthodox Jew from the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic sect, is originally from Israel. […]
'Your Struggle Is Our Struggle' Says Hasidic Anti-Zionist Rabbi Facing ICE Deportation Over Pro-Palestinian Protest
The Trump administration has spent months targeting anti-Israel protesters for deportation as part of what it portrays as a fight against "antisemitism." One of its latest targets is a Hasidic Jewish rabbi.
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.
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