US judge blocks deportation of Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi

The Guardian World

by Sara Braun in New York and agency

February 17, 2026

Mahdawi, arrested last year during US citizenship interview, says he is ‘grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law’ An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a 34-year-old Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested by federal agents last year during a US citizenship interview in Vermont. Lawyers for Mahdawi gave details of the decision in a court filing on Tuesday with a federal appeals court in New York, which had been reviewing a ruling that led to his release from immigration custody in April. Continue reading...

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Originally published on The Guardian World on 2/17/2026