Palestinian Activist Taken by ICE at Citizenship Interview Appointment

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Green card holder Mohsen Mahdawi was taken at the Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester, Vermont when he showed up for his citizenship interview appointment.

Mahdawi has held a green card, making him a lawful permanent resident, since 2015. The scheduled interview was expected to finalize his application for USA citizenship.

He openly criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Until March 2024, he organized campus protests about that issue. With Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian green card holder taken by ICE, Mahdawi co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia University.

A friend recorded video of his arrest. The agents’ faces were covered.

His lawyers petitioned in federal court to prevent ICE from moving him out of the state or deporting him. They have not been able to find out where he is. ICE often quickly moves people it takes so their lawyers cannot find out what jurisdiction they are in, thereby evading court rulings by claiming that initial filings were not in the right court at the moment of the filing.

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