Appeals Court Reverses Mohsen Mahdawi Release Order in Immigration Detention Fight
A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court order that released Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, from immigration detention, reopening a legal path that could allow the Trump administration to seek his re-arrest.
The Second Circuit ruled that a Vermont federal judge lacked jurisdiction to order Mahdawi’s release while his claims remained connected to removal proceedings. The panel directed the lower court to dismiss his habeas petition, saying the dispute belonged first in the immigration process.
The ruling is procedurally important. It does not decide whether Mahdawi was targeted because of protected speech. It decides where that claim can be heard and how quickly a noncitizen in immigration proceedings can seek federal court relief.
Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident, was detained during a citizenship interview in Vermont in 2025. His attorneys say the government moved against him because of his pro-Palestinian advocacy. The Trump administration has argued that immigration authorities have authority to pursue removal through the immigration system.
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Reaction split quickly. The ACLU warned that the decision could leave noncitizens detained for long periods while speech-retaliation claims move through immigration channels. Reuters reported that DHS treated the ruling as a public-safety and law-enforcement victory. Reddit threads in legal and political communities also showed active debate over habeas access, immigration power, and campus protest cases.
The case now moves into a higher-stakes phase. Mahdawi’s lawyers can continue fighting removal and any renewed detention effort, but the appeals ruling narrows the immediate federal court route that secured his release last year.
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