A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian who was recently arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of a crackdown by the State Department on foreign nationals who organize or are part of protests on college campuses.
Mahdawi was arrested when he showed up to an appointment for his process to become a U.S. citizen. He is currently a green card holder.
“I am saying it clear and loud, to President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you,” Mahdawi said outside a federal courthouse shortly after U.S. District Judge William Sessions III ordered his release, according to Politico.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made it clear that foreign students who want to go to American universities and cause disruptions will have their visa applications denied.
“Me standing here in front of you sends a clear message: We the people will hold the Constitution accountable for the principles that we believe in,” Mahdawi continued.
Mahdawi’s release does not mean the efforts to deport him are over. He is simply allowed to be free from custody as the case makes its way through the court system. Sessions determined that Mahdawi is not a public safety or flight risk.
Sessions, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, showed sympathy for Mahdawi because he experienced “great harm” while in detention.
“Even another day of detention is not to be tolerated,” Sessions said, going on to add that the Trump administration’s crackdown on disruptive foreign students is similar to McCarthyism during the 1950s.
“The wheel has come around again,” he said.
In response to Mahdawi’s release and his statements, Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said, “When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked and you should not be in this country. We have the law, facts and commonsense on our side.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made it clear that foreign students who want to go to American universities and cause disruptions will have their visa applications denied.
“If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa,” Rubio previously said about the issue.
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