Freed Palestinian Student Blasts Columbia for Inciting Violence/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student recently freed from ICE detention, accused Columbia University of inciting violence and backing anti-democratic policies. Arrested while finalizing his U.S. citizenship, Mahdawi said his detainment was politically motivated due to his pro-Palestinian activism. A federal court upheld his release, citing free speech concerns and weak government arguments.
Columbia Protest Backlash Quick Looks
- Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi freed after ICE detention
- Accuses Columbia University of inciting violence and repression
- Was arrested mid-citizenship process after anti-war activism
- Federal appeals court upheld release, citing free speech
- Columbia declined comment, defended police intervention on campus
- University faces scrutiny after crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests
- Mahdawi plans to attend Columbia graduation this month
- Compares U.S. democratic erosion to global injustice
- Federal judge questions political motive behind arrest
- Immigration crackdown targets student protestors nationwide
Freed Palestinian Student Blasts Columbia for Inciting Violence
Deep Look
Freed Palestinian Student Slams Columbia, Trump Administration for Stifling Dissent
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Palestinian graduate student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested while completing his U.S. citizenship process, accused Columbia University of enabling state-backed suppression of student dissent. Freed after 16 days in immigration detention, Mahdawi now alleges that both the Trump administration and elite universities are working in tandem to silence pro-Palestinian voices.
“Columbia University is participating in the destruction of the democratic system,” Mahdawi told the Associated Press on Thursday. “They are punishing and torturing their students.”
The 34-year-old legal permanent resident, who helped lead anti-war protests on Columbia’s campus in 2023 and 2024, said the university has become an enabler of violent repression rather than a defender of free expression. His comments followed a major police crackdown on student protesters inside the school’s main library, which resulted in at least 80 arrests.
Court Upholds Release Amid Free Speech Debate
On Friday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Mahdawi’s release, rejecting the government’s efforts to detain him indefinitely. In its ruling, the three-judge panel said the administration’s arguments were weak and failed to demonstrate any irreparable harm from Mahdawi’s freedom.
“Individual liberty substantially outweighs the government’s weak assertions of administrative and logistical costs,” the court stated.
A lower court previously found that Mahdawi had presented a “substantial claim” that his arrest was intended to suppress protected political speech — not enforce immigration law.
Arrested Midway Through Citizenship Process
Mahdawi had just completed his citizenship interview in Colchester, Vermont, on April 14 when he was arrested by armed federal agents, who entered the room unannounced. The moment, he said, felt like “light and darkness, cold and hot” colliding — a surreal culmination of the state turning against him.
Though Mahdawi had feared the arrest, he hoped the process would reflect the ideals of justice and fairness he believed in as a student organizer.
“Education is hope. Education is light,” he later said. “And there is no power in the world that should take that away from us.”
Crackdown on Student Protesters Expands
Mahdawi’s arrest is part of a wider crackdown on student activism, particularly focused on pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. The Trump administration has increasingly linked such activism to foreign policy threats, citing national security as justification for immigration enforcement.
Another student, Rumeysa Ozturk from Tufts University, won a legal ruling this week requiring her transfer from a Louisiana detention center back to Massachusetts, where a judge will determine whether her rights were violated.
“Stay positive and don’t let this injustice shake your belief in the inevitability of justice,” Mahdawi advised fellow detained students.
Columbia Silent as Protests Escalate
Columbia University, which recently updated its protest policies under pressure from the White House, declined to comment on Mahdawi’s claims. Its acting president Claire Shipman defended the use of police during Wednesday’s protest, calling it necessary for “securing the building and the safety of our community.”
Shipman said protesters had been repeatedly asked to leave and show ID but refused.
“The protest actions were outrageous,” she said, framing them as a disruption to finals and campus safety.
Mahdawi countered that Columbia’s actions were not about safety but about submission — to federal pressure and political conformity.
Facing Graduation and Continued Legal Battle
Despite his recent ordeal, Mahdawi plans to attend Columbia’s graduation ceremony later this month in New York, now that his release conditions permit out-of-state travel. However, the federal government continues to challenge his release, suggesting legal uncertainty still looms.
“This is a message,” he said. “A message that the pursuit of education and justice cannot be detained.”
Mahdawi also accused the administration of turning its back on initiatives he helped lead, including a student diplomacy council that fostered dialogue among Palestinian, Jewish, Israeli, and Lebanese students.
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