Striving for U.S. Citizenship Amidst Challenges
“I wanted to become a citizen of this country because I believe in the principles of this country,” Mahdawi explained to a U.S. senator.
During a conversation with Senator Peter Welch on Monday, Mohsen Mahdawi, a student leader from Columbia University, recounted his recent arrest by immigration officials. The incident occurred just as he was about to respond to questions regarding the fundamental principles and rights upheld in the U.S., including freedom of speech, during his citizenship test.
“I wanted to become a citizen of this country because I believe in the principles of this country,” Mahdawi stated to the Democratic senator from Vermont during his visit to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, where Mahdawi had been detained for over a week. “The most essential rights are outlined in the Bill of Rights, which prioritizes free speech, along with the freedom to assemble, freedom of the press, and the freedom to practice or not practice a religion.”
Senator Welch’s visit occurred as students at Columbia University locked themselves to a fence at the prestigious institution, demanding the release of both Mahdawi and Mahmoud Khalil, another leader of pro-Palestinian campus protests. Khalil had been detained the previous month and was being held in a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, with the Trump administration pushing for his deportation.
Mahdawi, who has held a green card for the past decade, had gone to an immigration office in Colchester, Vermont, the previous week to complete his naturalization application. Unexpectedly, he was arrested by armed, plainclothes federal agents wearing masks.
In his conversation with Mahdawi, Welch highlighted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted in a memo that, by speaking out against Israel’s U.S.-supported actions in Gaza and the West Bank, Mahdawi might “potentially undermine” the Middle East peace process. Mahdawi is among numerous student activists detained for their solidarity with Palestine, with hundreds more having their visas revoked as the Trump administration alleges a fight against antisemitism.
Recently, a federal judge in the Northern District of Georgia ordered ICE to reinstate the legal status of 133 students whose F-1 visas had been revoked. “The Constitution protects everyone on American soil, so the Trump administration cannot bypass due process to unjustifiably threaten students with loss of immigration status, arrest, and deportation,” stated Akiva Freidlin, a senior staff attorney at ACLU-Georgia, which had filed a lawsuit regarding the visa revocations.
Rubio also cited the Immigration and Nationality Act in efforts to deport Khalil, using a provision that allows the government to initiate deportation procedures for lawful permanent residents by claiming they pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy.
“Essentially, he is labeling being anti-war as antisemitic,” Mahdawi remarked. “How is that possible when many of my peers at Columbia and beyond are Jewish and Israeli? My efforts are focused on peacemaking, and all I am doing is being human.”
Welch shared a video of his discussion with Mohsen on social media, encouraging Americans to “listen to his message” of empathy, which Mahdawi emphasized extends to Jewish communities in both the U.S. and Israel.
“My empathy goes beyond just the Palestinian people… And my hope and dream is to witness the end of this conflict, to see an end to the war, an end to the killings, and to see a peaceful resolution between Palestinians and Israelis,” Mahdawi expressed.
“How could this be a threat to anyone other than the war machine that thrives on this?” Mahdawi questioned. He urged his supporters to “continue striving for the democracy of this country and for humanity,” emphasizing, “The war must stop.”
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