Page 34 - The Indian EYE 053025
P. 34
IMMIGRATION MAY 30, 2025 | The Indian Eye 34
Federal Judge Releases
Mohsen Mahdawi After Being
Detained for Lawful Speech
BY CYRUS D. MEHTA AND Mahdawi’s arrest, like harassment and violence in stating their views on the po- ercised the same free speech
that of fellow activist Mah- the United States” and “po- litical issues of the day. Our rights as I did yet languish in
KAITLYN BOX* moud Khalil, was based on tentially undermine[s] the nation has seen times like jail, and is intertwined with
O n April 30, 2025, his lawful speech that is dis- peace process underway in this before, especially during that of the Palestinians, who
the Middle East by reinforc-
the Red Scare and Palmer are fighting for their right to
favored by the Trump admin-
Judge
Geoffrey
Raids of 1919-1920 that led life and justice, too.
istration. A determination ing anti-Semitic sentiment in
the
of
Crawford
United Stated District Court issued by Secretary of State the regional [sic] and there- to the deportation of hun- The American govern-
Marco Rubio on March 15, by threating the U.S. foreign
dreds of people suspected ment accuses me of under-
for the District of Vermont 2025 alleges that Mahdawi’s policy goal of peacefully re- of anarchist or communist mining U.S. foreign policy,
ordered in Mahdawi v. Trump involvement in pro-Pales- solving the Gaza conflict.” views”. a patently absurd pretext
that our client, Mohsen tinian activism “undermines Mahdawi was arrested Mahdawi thanked his for deportation for political
Mahdawi, a long-time law- U.S. policy to combat an- on April 14, 2025 at the con- supporter and gave a com- speech that the Trump ad-
ful permanent resident and ti-Semitism around the world clusion of his naturalization ment outside the courthouse ministration dislikes. The
Columbia university student and in the United States, in interview at a USCIS office following his release, stating government is scraping the
activist advocating for the hu- addition to efforts to pro- in Vermont. Following his “We are pro-peace and an- bottom of the barrel in its at-
man rights of Palestinians, be tect Jewish students from arrest, ICE attempted to ti-war”. In a May 2, 2025 op tempts to smear me. My only
released from ICE detention.
move Mahdawi to Lou- ed in the New York Times, “crime” is refusing to accept
isiana, but before ICE Mahdawi echoed these senti- the slaughter of Palestinians,
was able to make him ments, stating: opposing war and promoting
board a flight to Lou- peace. I have simply insisted
isiana, Judge William Despite spending 16 that international law must
K. Sessions III of the be respected. I believe the
United Stated District nights in a jail cell, I way to a just and long-lasting
Court for the District of never lost hope in the peace for Palestinians and
Vermont granted a tem- Israelis is through diplomacy
porary restraining order inevitability of justice and restorative justice.
preventing him from and the principles of Although Mahdawi’s
being removed from the release is only the first step,
state. This was based on democracy. I wanted his case sends an important
a habeas petition that to become a citizen of message that a noncitizen
was quickly filed which cannot be detained solely
asserts that Mahdawi’s this country because I due to his lawful speech that
detention violated his believe in the principles the administration disfavors.
constitutional rights. His release under the
More background infor- that it enshrines. When pending habeas petition in
mation about the case is Judge Geoffrey W. Craw- the federal court in Vermont
available on the ACLU’s is quite separate from the re-
website. ford ruled in my favor, moval case under which the
m of Mahdawi’s release he reassured me, along Trump administration wants
CYRUS D. MEHTA & PARTNERS PLLC comes as the first major to deport him under INA
victory in the case. In his with the American peo-
237(a)(4)(C). A noncitizen
decision ordering Mah- ple, that there is still can be removed under this
dawi’s release, Judge provision if the Secretary of
Crawford called the set- reason to hope in those State has determined that
ting of the case “extraor- the noncitizen’s presence
dinary” and noted that or activities, even if lawful,
principles. But the road
“Legal residents – not to justice is long. would potentially have se-
charged with crimes or rious adverse foreign policy
misconduct – are being My freedom is inter- consequences.
2 6th Floor arrested and threatened twined with the freedom of In his decision to release
with deportation for the other students, who ex- the pending habeas petition,
www.TheIndianEYE.com
