Boston: Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, has appealed a court ruling that allows his deportation under US law, his legal team announced Wednesday. Mahdawi is contesting the US Board of Immigration Appeals' decision with the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Although the immigration court ruled in May to continue deportation proceedings, a separate federal court case has prevented his re-detention as the appeals process unfolds.

According to Anadolu Agency, Mahdawi, who has been in the US for over a decade, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in April 2025 during a citizenship interview and spent 16 days in ICE detention. He was released later that month after filing a habeas petition in the US District Court for the District of Vermont, arguing wrongful detention in retaliation for his constitutionally protected speech.

An immigration court judge initially dismissed the case in February due to insufficient government documentation. However, federal prosecutors appealed to the US Board of Immigration Appeals, which reinstated deportation proceedings. Mahdawi's legal team stated he would not seek asylum but would challenge the effort to revoke his lawful permanent resident status. Last Wednesday, a new removal order was issued against him.

Attorney Cyrus Mehta commented, "The original immigration judge correctly dismissed Mohsen's case before she was fired. The government appealed within the Trump administration-controlled immigration court system, knowing the BIA would reverse." He further expressed anticipation for vindicating Mahdawi's First Amendment rights in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, along with those of other noncitizens in the US.