Mohsen Mahdawi graduates from Columbia weeks after release from ICE detention

Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi walked the graduation stage at Columbia University on Monday, just weeks after being released from US immigration detention.

Mahdawi, a US green card holder, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on April 14 during a citizenship interview. His detention came amid a wider crackdown by the Trump administration on foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. A federal judge in Vermont ordered his release on April 30.

Wearing a keffiyeh draped over his graduation robe, Mahdawi was met with cheers from fellow students as he received his degree in philosophy from Columbia’s School of General Studies.

Later in the day, Mahdawi joined a vigil outside Columbia’s gates, holding up a photo of his detained classmate Mahmoud Khalil. Addressing the crowd, he said, “Neither the Trump administration, nor Columbia University, nor any power in this world will stop us from being and continuing to be humans.”

Mahdawi’s arrest was one of several targeting international students accused by the Trump administration of expressing “hostile attitudes” toward the US. The administration has linked such actions to what it calls a zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism, under which a number of foreign students involved in campus protests have faced detention or deportation.

A letter signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Mahdawi’s deportation, accusing him of using threatening language toward pro-Israel bystanders. However, video footage from November 2023, obtained by CBS News, shows Mahdawi publicly denouncing an antisemitic remark made by another protester.

Now free and a graduate, Mahdawi’s case continues to highlight growing concerns over academic freedom, immigration enforcement, and the criminalization of campus activism in the United States.