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A federal judge ordered the release of anti-Israeli protesters who helped organize riots and protests at Columbia University on Wednesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) authorities detained green card holder Mohsen Mahadawi in Vermont earlier this month. US District Judge Jeffrey Crawford ordered a release following the hearing Wednesday morning.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Mahdawi declared in a message when President Donald Trump left the court.
According to court filings, Mahdawi co-founded the Hamas Terrorist Attack, the Palestinian Student Union of Colombia, in the fall of October 7, 2023. He founded a group with Mahmoud Khalil, another pro-Palestinian activist who was detained by federal immigration officials under the Trump administration earlier this year.
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Two Vermont US senators, independent Bernie Sanders, Democrat Peter Welch, and Democrat Becca Ballint, a Democrat who is a sole member of the state’s Congress, condemned Madowy’s arrest on April 14th.
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The three issued a joint statement that Mahdawi had entered the Immigration Bureau for “what was supposed to be the final step in the citizenship process,” and instead “was arrested and removed in handcuffs by an armed individual with face coverings.”
Centre Mohsen Mahdawi was released from ICE custody on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
“These individuals refused to provide information about where he was being taken or what would happen to him,” the statement alleged.
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“This is immoral, inhuman and illegal,” he continued. “Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be given due process under the law and be released from custody immediately.”
As a Colombian student, Mahdawi is an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized protests on the campus until March 2024.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had called for the release of Mahdawi, an anti-Israel student leader at Columbia University, after his arrest. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images AP Images)
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According to a court application, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp on the west and west coast of Israel and moved to the United States in 2014. He recently completed his coursework in Columbia and was scheduled to graduate before starting his master’s degree program in May in the fall.
Fox News’ Peter Pinedo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter for Fox News Digital, covering national politics and major broken news events. Submit your tip to anders.hagstrom@fox.com or via Twitter: @hagstrom_anders.
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