ICE Arrests Palestinian Student Mohsen Mahdawi in Vermont, Sparks First Amendment Legal Battle; Tufts' Turkish Fulbright Scholar Rumeysa Ozturk Also Detained

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Updated Apr 15, 2025, 12:37 AM

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student and legal permanent resident of the United States, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during what he believed was a citizenship interview in Vermont. Mahdawi, who has lived in the U.S. for 10 years and was set to graduate from Columbia University, has been an outspoken critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and was involved in organizing student protests at Columbia until March 2024. He was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank before moving to the U.S. in 2014. His arrest has sparked legal action, with his attorneys filing a habeas petition arguing that the detention violates his First Amendment rights. A U.S. District Judge in Vermont, William K. Sessions III, granted a temporary restraining order preventing Mahdawi's deportation or transfer out of the state, following similar actions taken in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, another Columbia student arrested for his involvement in protests. Separately, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student and Fulbright scholar at Tufts University, was detained by ICE on March 25 and remains in custody in Louisiana. Her arrest followed her co-authorship of an op-ed critical of Israel's actions in Gaza, which resulted in nearly 51,000 Palestinian deaths. Her lawyers are challenging her arrest, claiming it violates her constitutional rights, particularly her right to free speech. A federal judge in Vermont is considering her release and has scheduled a hearing for May to further examine her case. Ozturk holds a valid F-1 visa, and despite claims by the Department of Homeland Security of her support for Hamas, no evidence has been presented to support this.

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Sources

wcvb.com(3)reuters.com(2)wbaltv.com(2)axios.com

Axios

@axios

Columbia activist detained during citizenship appointment https://t.co/H0tej0W4Wc

الجزيرة مباشر

@ajmubasher

While applying for American citizenship.. The arrest of a Palestinian student at Columbia University for participating in protests against the aggression on Gaza https://t.co/fexA8tWhzN

الجزيرة مباشر

@ajmubasher

He went to an interview to obtain citizenship and was arrested! https://t.co/NJNHSmJOgZ

Story Timeline

2 days ago•Latest version

Turkish PhD Student Rumeysa Öztürk of Tufts Challenges ICE Detention and State Department Visa Cancellation Ahead of May 1 Hearing

3 days ago

Turkish PhD Student Rumeysa Ozturk Detained in Louisiana by ICE, Raising Constitutional Concerns

3 days ago

Tufts PhD Student Rumeysa Ozturk Detained in Louisiana by ICE, Citing Violation of Constitutional Rights Over Pro-Palestinian Op-Ed

4 days ago

State Department Finds No Evidence Linking Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk to Antisemitism or Terrorism, Despite ICE Detention in Louisiana

4 days ago

ICE Arrests Palestinian Student Mohsen Mahdawi in Vermont, Sparks First Amendment Legal Battle; Tufts' Turkish Fulbright Scholar Rumeysa Ozturk Also Detained

4 days ago

Tufts Student Rumeysa Öztürk Detained by ICE After Visa Revocation Over Pro-Palestinian Op-Ed

4 days ago

State Department Finds No Evidence Linking Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk to Antisemitism or Terrorism Amid ICE Detention and Visa Revocation

5 days ago

US State Department Finds No Evidence Linking Tufts PhD Student and Fulbright Scholar Rumeysa Ozturk to Antisemitism or Terrorism, Despite Visa Revocation Attempt

5 days ago•Original version

Jewish Groups Rally to Free Rumeysa Ozturk, Tufts Student Detained by ICE, Amid No Evidence of Antisemitism