US Citizenship Dream Turns ICE Nightmare for Student Leader

A wave of concern and condemnation is spreading through Vermont and beyond following the arrest of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green card holder and student at Columbia University, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday. The apprehension occurred in Colchester, Vermont, during what was intended to be the final step in Mr. Mahdawi's application for U.S. citizenship – his naturalization interview, Daily Dazzling Dawn understand.

According to a statement released by his attorney, Luna Droubi, Mr. Mahdawi, who was also a prominent leader in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last spring, was taken into custody by plain-clothed, armed individuals who provided no information about his destination or future. "We have not received confirmation as to his whereabouts despite numerous attempts to locate him," Droubi stated, highlighting the urgent legal action taken, including the filing of a habeas petition and a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent his removal from the jurisdiction or the country.

The timing of Mr. Mahdawi's arrest coincides with a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, a meeting largely dominated by discussions surrounding deportations. Silky Shah, the executive director of the Detention Watch Network, voiced strong concerns over this development, stating that President Trump is taking steps to "normalize the abduction and removal of people to another country without due process."

Shah further warned about the implications of the Trump-Bukele partnership, suggesting that "outsourcing incarceration to El Salvador is setting a dangerous precedent of total disdain for basic human rights - not only for migrants, but for everyone in the United States, including residents and citizens, and especially Black and brown people who are disproportionately targeted by the US’s unjust criminal legal system."

The arrest has drawn a sharp rebuke from Vermont's congressional delegation. Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, along with Representative Becca Balint, issued a joint statement expressing their outrage. "Earlier today, Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont, walked into an immigration office for what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process. Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plain-clothed, armed, individuals with their faces covered. These individuals refused to provide any information as to where he was being taken or what would happen to him. This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal. Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention."

The incident has ignited fears within immigrant communities and among human rights advocates, who see it as a disturbing escalation of immigration enforcement tactics, particularly against individuals with a legal right to be in the United States. The lack of transparency surrounding Mr. Mahdawi's whereabouts and the circumstances of his arrest have only amplified these concerns, raising serious questions about due process and the rights of legal residents seeking citizenship. The legal battle to secure his release and prevent his deportation is expected to be closely watched as it unfolds.