Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi released by US courts

“I’m not afraid of you.” Mohsen Mahdawi, fresh out of detention, has called out Donald Trump and his administration, reports The New York Times . The Palestinian student and activist was arrested on April 14 during an interview in Vermont to obtain his citizenship and was threatened with deportation.

He was notably singled out for his role in organizing pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia University campus. But a ruling issued on Wednesday, April 30, ruled that the young man “posed no danger to the public” and ordered his release. Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford "refers in particular to McCarthyism and to cases dating from the 1950s, specifying that this was not 'the most glorious moment in American history'."

“Mr. Mahdawi's release is a defeat for the Trump administration and its increasingly intense fight against student protests,” the left-leaning New York newspaper asserts. In the past, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that authorities have the right to expel participants in protests that run counter to U.S. interests abroad, even if they have residency permits.

Mohsen Mahdawi's detention is not an isolated case. According to the New York Times, other youths are still being detained for similar reasons. On April 11, a Louisiana court even ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident of the United States, could be deported due to his involvement in the pro-Palestinian movement.

“The Trump administration wanted to use the same method to deport Mr. Mahdawi, claiming that his presence on American soil posed a threat to US foreign policy and national security.” Marco Rubio had justified the activist’s arrest by saying that his involvement “risked undermining [American] efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East by reinforcing anti-Semitism” in America. “A green card holder for 10 years, Mr. Mahdawi was not accused of any crime,” the New York Times said.