US Judge Halts Deportation Proceedings Against Palestinian Student
Mahdawi, who has lived in the United States for over a decade and led pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last April during a citizenship interview and spent 16 days in detention. He was released on bail on April 30 after filing a habeas petition in federal court in Vermont, arguing that his detention was retaliation for constitutionally protected speech.
On Tuesday, attorneys for Mahdawi informed the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that the removal proceedings had been terminated. The case, which had raised significant concerns about due process and free speech, was dismissed after the government failed to authenticate a memorandum allegedly from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The document had claimed Mahdawi posed a threat to US foreign policy interests and served as the basis for his detention and deportation case.
Mahdawi expressed relief over the ruling, stating, "I 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. This decision is an important step towards upholding what fear tried to destroy: the right to speak for peace and justice."
Brett Max Kaufman, senior counsel at the ACLU Center for Democracy, emphasized that the outcome highlights the critical role of judicial oversight in immigration enforcement cases.
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