University Student Released

Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released on bail from ICE custody yesterday. His immigration case remains open, with another hearing scheduled for today.

The 34-year-old US permanent resident, originally from the West Bank, organized pro-Palestinian protests following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and subsequent Israel-Hamas war. He was arrested last month at a citizenship interview in Vermont and has since been held in custody. The State Department cites the Immigration and Nationality Act in its efforts to deport him, saying Mahdawi's activities compromise US foreign policy interests. The administration also cites a 2015 FBI investigation in which a gun shop owner accused Mahdawi of antisemitic comments; that investigation has reportedly been closed.

Hundreds of foreign students' visas have been revoked amid a Trump administration crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters. Mahdawi is among the first to be released on bail, with high-profile detainees Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk held in Louisiana.