A Columbia University student threw up peace signs while he was escorted out from his citizenship appointment in Colchester, Vermont, by Department of Homeland Security agents.
In a video circulating X, Mohsen Madawi was seen handcuffed as he was escorted to an unmarked vehicle by law enforcement. He is the latest university student to be arrested by the Trump administration for expressing anti-Israel views.
"This is the moment just minutes ago when Mohsen Madawi a Columbia University student was apprehended by HSI agents in the middle of his appointment to become a U.S. citizen. He is a Palestinian-born green card holder," Christopher Helali, a friend of Madawi's, wrote in the accompanying post.
EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE: Columbia student and Palestinian Mohsen Madawi was just arrested during a visit to the immigration office here in Colchester, VT. More to follow. Footage by: Christopher Helali pic.twitter.com/I9JvPS2DLn
— Christopher Helali (@ChrisHelali) April 14, 2025
Madawi was an "outspoken critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and an activist and organizer in student protests on Columbia's campus until March of 2024, after which he took a step back and has not been involved in organizing," according to a habeas petition obtained by ABC News.
He also co-founded Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate and Lawful Permanent Resident who was detained last month for his role in last year's Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
Madawi's attorney called his arrest "unlawful" and a violation the First Amendment. The Columbia student, set to graduate next month, emigrated from the West Bank to the U.S. in 2014. He has been a legal resident since then and was in the process of receiving his U.S. citizenship when he was detained.
As a child in the West Bank, Madawi revealed during a "60 Minutes" interview that "he watched an Israeli soldier shoot and kill his best friend in the West Bank." He fears he will be targeted if he is forced to return to the West Bank.
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