Shafaqna Pakistan: The Board of Immigration Appeals has reinstated deportation proceedings against pro-Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi, according to a court filing submitted by his lawyers.
Mahdawi, a student at Columbia University, was arrested last year after taking part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. A US immigration judge had earlier blocked efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to deport him in February.
That ruling was issued by immigration judge Nina Froes, who later had her position terminated by the administration last month.
However, the Board of Immigration Appeals—part of the US Department of Justice’s immigration review system—overturned the earlier decision, allowing deportation proceedings to resume. The Trump administration has argued that activists like Mahdawi support extremism, engage in antisemitic activity, and pose concerns related to US foreign policy.
Activists, including some Jewish groups, say the government conflates criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
“The government continues to weaponize the immigration system to silence dissent,” Mahdawi said in a statement shared by his legal team on Wednesday.
Mahdawi, born and raised in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was arrested in April 2025 upon arriving for an interview for his US citizenship petition. He was released after two weeks in detention following a judge’s order and was never charged with a crime.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Mahdawi, says the government cannot deport him for the moment as his arrest was still being challenged in federal court.
Trump has cracked down on pro-Palestinian movements by attempting to deport foreign protesters, threatening to freeze funds for universities where protests were held and scrutinizing immigrants’ online speech.
The crackdown has led to concerns among rights experts about free speech, due process and academic freedom. It has also faced legal and judicial roadblocks.
US colleges have seen campus movements against Israel’s war in Gaza since late 2023. Demonstrations peaked in 2024. While the intensity of the movements has declined since then, there have been occasional flashes.
Over the weekend, University of Michigan professor Derek Peterson praised pro-Palestinian protesters in a spring commencement program, prompting the university to issue an apology.
On Wednesday, Rutgers University said it withdrew an invitation to pro-Palestinian business leader Rami Elghandour, a critic of Israel, for a graduation speech next week. Elghandour criticized the decision that the university said was based on complaints by some students about his online posts.
Source: Dunya News
