Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi speaks out after release: "You will not silence me"
A Columbia student activist and green card holder who was detained when he went for a citizenship interview last month said President Trump "will not silence me," in an interview with CBS News from Vermont on Monday.
Mohsen Mahdawi's comments marked his first network interview since a judge ordered his release last week — a move Mahdawi called a "light of hope" to other student activists who have been detained, like Columbia's Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University's Rumeysa Ozturk
Shortly after Mahdawi's release, he addressed a group of supporters, saying of Mr. Trump and his Cabinet, "I am not afraid of you." Mahdawi told CBS News he addressed Mr. Trump directly because "there is this philosophy of intimidation, of punitive justice … so I wanted to share to them that you can do whatever you want. You will not silence me."
"I am a peacemaker. And when they arrested me, that is a red flag to everybody," Mahdawi also said.
Mahdawi was in custody for about two weeks. He told CBS News he arrived for his citizenship appointment in Vermont in mid-April, took a citizenship test and signed a document that said he is willing to pledge allegiance to the Constitution. Toward the end of that process, he said immigration agents entered the office and detained him. Mahdawi said he does not know why they waited, instead of taking him into custody as soon as he arrived.
"What I know is this is a betrayal to the Constitution of this country and to the process," Mahdawi said. "I've done everything the right way. I've gone through the process. … I've applied the right way. I showed up for my interview. I shared and answered all of the questions honestly. And I said I am willing to defend and protect the Constitution of this country."
Mahdawi, who helped lead Columbia's protests against the Israel-Hamas war starting in 2023, was detained under a rarely used law allowing the government to revoke visas for people the Secretary of State believes could pose "adverse foreign policy consequences."
Mahdawi said he found the Trump administration's rationale for detaining him "laughable."
"A person who has been vocally advocating for justice and peace is undermining U.S. policy?," he said to CBS News on Monday.
Mahdawi is one of several student activists to face detention. Fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, who co-wrote a pro-Palestinian op-ed in the campus newspaper, were detained in March under the same legal grounds alleging the risk of "adverse foreign policy consequences." Both students are separately suing for their release.
A letter calling for Mahdawi's deportation and signed by Rubio reads, "Mahdawi has been identified at those protests as having engaged in threatening rhetoric and intimidation of pro-Israeli bystanders. But in a video from November 2023 obtained by CBS News, Mahdawi is seen leading a crowd chanting "shame on you" to denounce a protester who made an antisemitic comment. He also told CBS News in an interview last month, "We made it very clear that our movement is about justice, and antisemitism has no place in our movement."
The Trump administration has defended the practice of taking away visas. In a statement last month, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricial McLaughlin said green cards and visas are a "privilege."
"When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country," McLaughlin added.
Mahdawi has denied allegations of antisemitism and has said he took a step back from the protests before demonstrators formed encampments on Columbia's campus and occupied a school building, drawing nationwide attention and criticism.
He sued in federal court for his release hours after his detention, with his lawyers arguing the move violated his First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release from federal custody last Wednesday, writing that Mahdawi had "made substantial claims that his detention is the result of retaliation for protected speech."
The case is still open as Crawford reviews Mahdawi's petition for habeas corpus.
An appeals court will review Mahdawi and Ozturk's cases Tuesday.
Mahdawi said after he left custody, he "was reassured in my heart of the belief that justice will prevail … and the justice system is functioning."
He also says he plans on continuing to protest. "I wasn't afraid when they detained me. I was not afraid when I got out of detention. And I'm not afraid to share my voice," he said.
Lilia Luciano is an award-winning journalist and CBS News 24/7 anchor and correspondent based in New York City. Luciano is the recipient of multiple journalism awards, including a Walter Cronkite Award, a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and five regional Emmys.
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