Overview
- Immigration Judge Nina Froes ended removal proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi last week, blocking any immediate deportation, according to court filings made public Tuesday.
- Government attorneys submitted a photocopied memo attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio but did not certify it as required under federal law, leading to the termination.
- The administration can appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals or refile charges, and the Second Circuit is reviewing Mahdawi’s case alongside Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk.
- Mahdawi, a 35-year-old Palestinian lawful permanent resident and Columbia graduate student, was arrested at his Vermont naturalization interview last April and detained for more than two weeks before release.
- He and his lawyers contend the case retaliated against his pro‑Palestinian speech, and a separate federal lawsuit challenging his prior detention remains ongoing.