Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi freed after federal judge orders release

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and Palestinian green-card holder detained by the Trump administration despite no crime charge, was released after a Vermont judge ruled he wasn’t a flight risk or threat to his community. The government used an obscure statute targeting those seen as threats to foreign policy, with no legitimate interest in his continued confinement. Mahdawi expressed hope for justice and the fight for Palestinian rights, while others facing similar detentions remain detained under similar charges.