Pro-Palestinian Activist Mohsen Madawi Detained During Citizenship Interview

Detention of Mohsen Madawi

• 🇵🇸 Mohsen Madawi, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, was detained by federal agents on his way to a citizenship interview in Vermont.
• ⚖️ His lawyers state he was taken into custody under a provision that allows detention if a person's presence is deemed against US foreign interests, without requiring evidence of a crime.
• 🗣️ Madawi, a Palestinian-born US permanent legal resident, expressed that his compassion extends to both Palestinian and Jewish people, and denied accusations of antisemitism against the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia.

Online Targeting and Deportation Fears

• 💻 Madawi became a target of online attacks after a 60 Minutes interview, with manipulated stories accusing him of antisemitism and embracing Hamas.
• ⚠️ He had gone into hiding due to threats from groups, including a US branch of a "Zionist" group, which had directly stated he would be deported.
• 🇺🇸 Despite not receiving direct communication from the government about deportation, he anticipated detention upon receiving his citizenship interview invitation.

Legal Proceedings and Future

• 🏛️ The detention uses the same provision as the Mahmud Khalil case, where the Secretary of State's declaration was sufficient for the court, overriding the need for evidence.
• 🚫 A judge ruled that Madawi could not be taken out of the state of Vermont, preventing his immediate removal.
• 🌍 Madawi, born in the West Bank, fears deportation would send him to a war zone, and his attorneys are working to protect him from being deported.