Appeals court voids order that released Columbia activist Mahdawi
The ruling revives a Trump administration win in its effort to deport Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian Columbia activist and lawful permanent resident.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
A United States appeals court on Tuesday overturned a lower court order that had freed Columbia University activist Mohsen Mahdawi from immigration detention, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The decision adds to the Trump administration’s legal gains in its effort to deport pro-Palestinian student protesters, according to those news organizations.
The appeals court reversed a 2025 ruling by US District Judge Geoffrey Crawford, who had ordered Mahdawi released. Crawford found that Mahdawi had the same free speech protections as US citizens and said the administration had caused “great harm” to a person who had not been charged with a crime, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported.
Mahdawi has remained out of custody while he contests deportation, according to the report. The ruling does not end the broader immigration case against him, which has moved through several stages over the past year.
Deportation case resumed in May
In May, the Board of Immigration Appeals reinstated deportation proceedings against Mahdawi, Al Jazeera reported. The board’s decision overturned a February ruling by immigration judge Nina Froes, who had blocked the administration’s deportation bid.
Froes had found that the government did not meet its burden of proof and rejected key evidence as inadmissible, according to Al Jazeera. She was later fired by the Trump administration, the outlet reported.
Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident born in the occupied West Bank, was arrested in April 2025 after arriving for what he believed was an interview tied to his US citizenship application, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. He spent two weeks in detention and was not charged with a crime, according to the report.
After the appeals board revived the deportation case in May, Mahdawi accused the Trump administration of using immigration enforcement to punish his views. “The government is trying to punish and deport me, a stateless Palestinian refugee from the occupied West Bank, because it opposes my peaceful advocacy for human dignity and equal rights for Palestinians,” he said in a statement reported by Al Jazeera.
Free speech dispute
Mahdawi’s case has become a closely watched challenge to the Trump administration’s campaign against pro-Palestinian activism on US campuses, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The administration’s actions have included deportation efforts against foreign protesters, threats to freeze funding for universities where protests occurred and scrutiny of online speech, according to the report.
The administration has argued that Secretary of State Marco Rubio can seek deportation under federal immigration law when a non-citizen’s presence could have “adverse foreign policy consequences” for the United States, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported.
Human rights lawyers say the government is retaliating against speech protected by the Constitution, according to the report. Mahdawi’s challenge continues as courts and immigration authorities weigh the reach of federal deportation powers in cases tied to campus protest activity.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.