An immigration judge has ordered the removal of Columbia University graduate Mohsen Mahdawi to Jordan, finding that the Board of Immigration Appeals had already determined that he was deportable under a provision of U.S. immigration law.
Mahdawi, 35, was born and raised in a refugee camp in Judea and Samaria and has held a U.S. green card for more than 10 years. He was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a naturalization interview in Vermont on April 14, 2025, after engaging in what the U.S. State Department described as “antisemitic conduct” while leading anti-Israel protests on campus in 2024. Mahdawi previously served as co-president of Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
Mahdawi became the subject of removal proceedings after a memorandum attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded that his activities and continued presence in the United States could negatively affect U.S. foreign policy.
In a June 3 order, the immigration judge wrote that “removability was previously determined” by the BIA, which had reinstated the government’s case after an immigration judge earlier dismissed it on evidentiary grounds.
According to court filings, Mahdawi informed the immigration court that he would not seek asylum or other forms of relief from removal and instead would directly challenge the government’s effort to revoke his lawful permanent resident status.
Mahdawi filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit on Wednesday, seeking to overturn the removal order. Separate federal court proceedings continue, and his attorneys have said he remains protected from deportation while those appeals are pending.
