Palestinian Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi arrested by DHS at citizenship interview

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 told CBS News federal agents informed them the Trump administration detained Mahdawi under an obscure law allowing deportations if the Secretary of State decides someone poses “adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” The administration cited the same provision to detain Khalil. Mahdawi’s lawyers filed a petition in court asking for his release, claiming his detention violated the First Amendment.

“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.”

The Department of Homeland Security referred CBS News’ request for comment to the State Department, which did not immediately respond to questions.

Mahdawi’s attorney Luna Droubi said in a statement Mahdawi’s legal team has “not received confirmation as to his whereabouts despite numerous attempts to locate him.” Federal Judge William Sessions temporarily barred the government from removing Mahdawi from Vermont on Monday.

Mahdawi was born in a West Bank refugee camp and has been a U.S. lawful permanent resident for the last decade, according to his lawyers. He completed a philosophy program at Columbia late last year, and was expected to graduate in May before seeking a master’s degree from the university this fall.

Khalil and Mahdawi co-founded Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union in 2023, Mahdawi’s lawyers said in court documents. Khalil later spoke at campus protests over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, which began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Mahdawi has drawn attention in the past. Betar USA — a controversial pro-Israel group that regularly encourages the Trump administration to detain pro-Palestinian protest leaders — tweeted a video of Mahdawi in January and said he’s on the organization’s “deport list.”

Betar spokesman Daniel Levy told CBS News in a statement the group has “provided thousands of names of jihadis to the Trump Administration of visitors to America who support Hamas and will continue to.”

Mahdawi’s lawyers say he has backed a “peaceful political solution” to the Palestinian conflict. In a 2023 interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Mahdawi told Bill Whitaker about a campus rally during which an unidentified person yelled an antisemitic statement. Mahdawi said he was “shocked” and told the person, “you don’t represent us.” 

Mahdawi is the latest student to face immigration detention. Khalil, who also holds a green card, was detained outside his Columbia-owned apartment last month. The government is seeking his removal from the country, accusing him of supporting Hamas and participating in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities.” When asked to provide evidence for Khalil’s detention, the government cited a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that said that Khalil’s role in protests on the campus of Columbia University is in conflict with American foreign policy objectives but did not provide any evidence of Khalil declaring support for Hamas.

Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained weeks later, with her attorneys claiming she was targeted for co-authoring an op-ed in the student newspaper. 

Khalil and Ozturk are both detained in Louisiana. A federal immigration judge ruled last week the government can move forward with its push to deport Khalil, but he has until later this month to seek relief from deportation. His lawyers have suggested they will appeal, and he’s separately suing over his detention. Ozturk is also suing for her release, and her attorneys faced off against the Trump administration in a hearing Monday. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the practice of revoking visas, writing on X after Khalil’s arrest, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

contributed to this report.