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On April 14, 2025, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrested and detained Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and soon-to-be graduate of Columbia University. Mahdawi had been scheduled to attend his naturalization interview at an immigration field office in Colchester, Vermont, as one of the final steps in his application to become a U.S. citizen. During the interview, plainclothes ICE agents arrested him and placed him in an unmarked vehicle, before later attempting to put him on a plane to an ICE detention center in Louisiana.

Immediately following his arrest, Mahdawi’s attorneys filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus alleging that ICE’s arrest and detention of Mahdawi on the basis of his speech and activism violates the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, the Administrative Procedures Act, and the Non-Delegation Doctrine. That same day, a federal judge in the District of Vermont granted a temporary restraining order blocking Mahdawi’s deportation or removal from Vermont in the absence of a further court order. On April 23, a different federal judge extended the temporary restraining for another ninety days. On April 30, the court ordered Mr. Mahdawi released from detention while his case proceeds in federal court.

Mahdawi is represented by Cyrus Mehta and David Isaacson of Cyrus D. Mehta Partners, PLLC; Luna Droubi and Matthew Melewski of Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP; Andrew Delaney of Martin Delaney & Ricci Law Group; CLEAR; the ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥; and the ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ of Vermont.