Freed Activist Graduates from Columbia University
(MENAFN) Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, who was freed from US immigration custody the previous month, celebrated his graduation from Columbia University on Monday.
Mahdawi, a green card holder, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a citizenship interview on April 14.
His arrest was part of a broader initiative to target student demonstrators.
However, he was released on April 30 after a US district judge in Vermont issued a ruling in his favor.
During the ceremony, Mahdawi received applause from several students as he made his way across the stage wearing a keffiyeh.
He had earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Columbia's School of General Studies.
Afterward, he joined a vigil outside the university’s gates, holding a photo of his classmate Mahmoud Khalil, who remains in federal detention.
"Nor the Trump administration, nor Columbia University, nor any power in this world will stop us from being and continuing to be humans,” Mahdawi declared to the crowd.
His detention was part of a series of actions taken by the Trump administration, which sought to deport foreign nationals it considered to have "hostile attitudes" toward the US.
This included targeting students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.
One such action involved a letter, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanding Mahdawi's deportation.
The letter accused him of using threatening language toward pro-Israeli participants in the protests.
However, a November 2023 video obtained by a news agency contradicted these claims, showing Mahdawi leading chants against a protester who made antisemitic remarks.
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