Overview
- A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned a 2025 Vermont federal judge’s order and directed that the case proceed in immigration court, a decision issued on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
- The appeals court ruled the district court did not have jurisdiction to decide Mohsen Mahdawi’s challenge to his detention because removal proceedings belong first in the immigration court system.
- Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford had ordered Mahdawi released after about two weeks in ICE custody in 2025, finding that his protest activity raised First Amendment questions for a lawful permanent resident.
- The ruling shifts the forum where Mahdawi’s free‑speech claims can be raised and could delay or limit immediate federal review of constitutional issues because immigration courts are administrative and follow different procedures.
- Reporting also links Mahdawi’s arrest to a political pressure campaign, an element described with limited sourcing, and the case may return to federal court later through appeals or after immigration court proceedings conclude.