Another Columbia University student was detained by immigration authorities in “direct retaliation” for his participation in protests against the Israel-Gaza war, his lawyer said Monday.
Mohsen Mahdawi, who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank and is a U.S. permanent resident, was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security during his naturalization interview in Vermont on Monday, according to a filing from the lawyer, Luna Droubi.
The action comes amid a widening and unprecedented crackdown on foreign students. Video posted by a Vermont lawmaker showed three officers, two of whom were masked, escorting Mahdawi in handcuffs to an SUV.
Andrew Delaney, another one of his attorneys, said that Mahdawi is being held in Vermont. A petition challenging his detention says it appears Mahdawi was taken into custody for deportation.