Court Reinstates Detention for Pro-palestinian Activist Mahdawi

WHO:

CNN - Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate.

CNN - The Trump administration, which has been attempting to deport Mahdawi.

CNN - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represents Mahdawi.

CNN - Mahmoud Khalil, a former classmate of Mahdawi's at Columbia University.

CNN - Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University.

WHAT:

CNN - The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that ordered Mahdawi's release.

CNN - The appeals court found that the lower court had overstepped its authority in Mahdawi's case.

CNN - Mahdawi is appealing an order of removal issued against him by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

CNN - Mahdawi described the appeals court decision as “a grave setback” and a means for the government to “intimidate, censor, and punish dissent without meaningful restraint.”

WHERE:

CNN - The ruling was made by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

CNN - Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

CNN - Mahdawi was arrested by immigration agents in Vermont during a citizenship interview.

WHEN:

CNN - Mahdawi was arrested in April 2025.

CNN - The appeals court ruling occurred on a Tuesday, but the specific date is not provided.

CNN - The 2nd Circuit court is expected to issue a separate ruling concerning Ozturk’s case.

WHY:

CNN - The Trump administration has been targeting Mahdawi and other activists for deportation due to their criticism of Israel and protests against the war in Gaza.

CNN - The lower court's decision was likened to McCarthyist repression by the judge.

HOW:

CNN - The appeals court ruled that the lower court lacked jurisdiction in Mahdawi's case, stating that it should proceed through the immigration court system first.

(UPDATED July 22, 2026 01:29 UTC)

In a significant ruling, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a lower court's decision that had ordered the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, who is currently appealing an order of removal issued against him by the Board of Immigration Appeals. The appeals court found that the lower court had overstepped its authority, and Mahdawi described the decision as “a grave setback” aimed at intimidating dissent. The Trump administration has been targeting Mahdawi and other activists for deportation due to their criticism of Israel and protests against the war in Gaza, with the court expected to issue a separate ruling concerning Rumeysa Ozturk’s case.