{"id":4343,"date":"2026-02-17T22:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T22:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-awp-vermont.pantheonsite.io\/?post_type=press_release&p=4343"},"modified":"2026-02-17T22:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T22:30:25","slug":"mohsen-mahdawis-removal-proceedings-terminated-by-immigration-judge","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/press-releases\/mohsen-mahdawis-removal-proceedings-terminated-by-immigration-judge\/","title":{"rendered":"Mohsen Mahdawi\u2019s removal proceedings terminated by immigration judge"},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"class_list":["post-4343","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"The Columbia University graduate student was detained and put into deportation proceedings last year over his speech in support of Palestinian rights ","date_and_time":"2026-02-17 17:00:00","featured_image":null,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"NEW YORK \u2013 Attorneys for Mohsen Mahdawi filed a letter today with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit announcing that an immigration judge terminated Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s removal proceedings.\r\n\r\n\u201cI am grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law and holding the line against the government's attempts to trample on due process,\u201d said Mohsen Mahdawi<\/b>. \u201cThis decision is an important step towards upholding what fear tried to destroy: the right to speak for peace and justice. Nearly a year ago, I was detained at my citizenship interview not for breaking the law but for speaking against the genocide of Palestinians. In a climate where dissent is increasingly met with intimidation and detention, today\u2019s ruling renews hope that due process still applies and that no agency stands above the Constitution. This is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a deeper commitment to peace, dignity, and justice; work I will continue, fearlessly and without apology.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe filing outlines the immigration judge\u2019s decision, which was based on the government\u2019s failure to authenticate a memorandum purportedly from Marco Rubio. This document, which was filed without including referenced attachments, served as the basis for seeking to deport Mr. Mahdawi, and declared Mr. Mahdawi a threat to U.S. foreign policy based solely on his protected speech. The ruling was issued without prejudice, which means the government may appeal the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals or may attempt to refile a new case based on the same charge.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis decision highlights the importance of federal court review of immigration proceedings, especially when First Amendment and other constitutional violations are alleged,\u201d said Brett Max Kaufman, senior counsel with the ACLU\u2019s Center for Democracy<\/b>. \u201cHad we been unable to pursue Mohsen\u2019s release in federal court, as the government is arguing should be law of the land, he would still be in detention today on a charge that the government itself couldn\u2019t even bother to substantiate 10 months later with basic forms of authentication. The government should take the immigration judge\u2019s hint and drop this absurd case for good.\u201d\r\n\r\nMr. Mahdawi was detained in April 2025 and held in detention for over two weeks. He was released on bail on April 30, 2025, after filing a habeas <\/i>petition in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont in which he argued he was wrongfully detained in retaliation for his constitutionally protected speech.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re pleased that the court has terminated this witch hunt of a case,\u201d said Cyrus Mehta of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.<\/b> \u201cMohsen is a peaceful man and a valued member of his communities in Vermont and at Columbia University. The government\u2019s pursuit of his deportation has been an affront to the principle of free speech that undergirds our democracy. The government\u2019s inability to even file the proper paperwork demonstrates how careless and reckless they are being in their policy of detaining innocent people for their speech.\u201d\r\n\r\nMr. Mahdawi is represented in both immigration and federal court by Cyrus Mehta and David Isaacson of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC and in federal court by Luna Droubi and Matthew Melewski of Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP; Andrew Delaney of Martin Delaney & Ricci Law Group; CLEAR; the American Civil Liberties Union; and the ACLU of Vermont.\r\n\r\nCase documents can be viewed here<\/a>."}}],"use_default_media_contact":true,"name":"","email":"","phone":"","address":{"address_1":"","address_2":"","city":"","state":"","zip_code":"","country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","spokesperson":null,"related_content":null,"issues":null,"toggle-pdf":true,"documents":null},"yoast_head":"\nMohsen Mahdawi\u2019s removal proceedings terminated by immigration judge - ACLU of Vermont<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/press-releases\/mohsen-mahdawis-removal-proceedings-terminated-by-immigration-judge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mohsen Mahdawi\u2019s removal proceedings terminated by immigration judge - 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