ICE Detains Pro-Palestinian Columbia Student At Citizenship Interview

NEW YORK CITY — Immigration authorities have arrested and detained another Columbia University student who helped lead pro-Palestinian at the university, according to his lawyers and reports.

Mohsen Mahdawi, 34, a permanent United States resident, was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security during his naturalization interview in Vermont on Monday, according to an NBC News report.

One of Mahdawi’s attorneys, Luna Droubi, told Gothamist that his arrest is in "direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian."

“His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional," she said.

Cyrus Mehta, another attorney for Mahdawi, said the 34-year-old suspected the interview might be a ruse but still decided to show up.

"This was his opportunity to get naturalized and therefore once you become a citizen, you're no longer amenable to deportation," Mehta told Gothamist.

Video posted to social media showed three officers escorting Mahdawi in handcuffs to an SUV.

This latest arrest comes after a Louisiana judge ruled that Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil could be deported, Patch previously reported.