Immigration and Customs Enforcement had detained Mahdawi in Vermont one week before his meeting with Welch.
Mahdawi’s legal team filed a writ of habeas corpus petition on April 14 challenging his detainment by the federal government.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) met with Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, GS ’25, on Monday at a state correctional facility in Vermont.
According to the ICE detainee locator system, Mahdawi’s current location displays a message which reads “CALL FIELD OFFICE.” The listed phone number directed Spectator to a field office in Boston. CNN and NBC reported that Mahdawi’s lawyers said he is still in Vermont, where he was initially arrested during his naturalization appointment on April 14.
Welch shared in an X post on Monday that Mahdawi “should be released so he can become a citizen.”
“I’m here with our friend from the Upper Valley, Mohsen,” Welch said during his meeting with Mahdawi, which he recorded and posted on X. “We’ve been having a nice talk, but I want you to have the chance to explain to people how you’re doing and what you hope to accomplish.”
Mahdawi told Welch during the meeting that his visit “reassures” him of the support he has from Welch and the people of Vermont.
“I’m staying positive by reassuring myself in the ability of justice and the deep belief of democracy,” Mahdawi said during the meeting. “This is the reason I wanted to become a citizen of this country, because I believe in the principles of this country.”
Mahdawi cited First Amendment protections as “the most important rights,” in his meeting with Welch, adding that he learned that these freedoms were “guaranteed to everyone” in the United States while studying for his citizenship test.
Welch referenced Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s invocation of a rarely used federal power within the Immigration and Nationality Act against Mahdawi. The provision allows the government to initiate the deportation of lawful permanent residents on the basis that they present a threat to U.S. foreign policy.
“Basically, he is describing being anti-war as antisemitic,” Mahdawi said to Welch. “How could that be possible when my partners, most of my partners at Columbia’s campus, and beyond, are Jews and Israelis?”
Mahdawi’s legal team filed a writ of habeas corpus petition on April 14 in the U.S. District Court of Vermont against President Donald Trump and his administration. The filing challenges Rubio’s invocation of the Immigration and Nationality Act provisions and argues that Mahdawi’s detainment is unlawful.
Rubio invoked the same provision against Mahmoud Khalil, SIPA ’24, and Rümeysa Öztürk, TC ’20. ICE agents detained Khalil, a Palestinian activist, on March 8 at his University-owned residence. Plainclothes Department of Homeland Security agents detained Öztürk outside of her off-campus apartment at Tufts University, where she is a doctoral candidate.
Khalil and Öztürk are both being held in ICE facilities in Louisiana, though a court order stated that Öztürk must be moved to Vermont by the end of the month. Khalil remains in Louisiana.
Mahdawi added during the meeting that his work has been “centered on peacemaking” and that he is simply “being a human.” Mahdawi said that his empathy “extends to the Jews and to the Israelis” and that he hopes to see an end to the war in Gaza and a “peaceful resolution” between Palestinians and Israelis.
Mahdawi shared a final message in the video, stating that he feels “so loved and so supported” and that he is “in good hands.”
“I am centered, I am clear, I am grounded, and I don’t want you to worry about me,” Mahdawi said. “I want you to continue working for the democracy of this country and for humanity. The war must stop.”
Story Written by Nadia Knoblauch, Columbia Spectator