In an interview with CBS News from Vermont on Monday, a Columbia student activist and green card holder who was detained while attending a citizenship interview last month stated that President Trump “will not silence me.”
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, such as Columbia’s Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University’s Rumeysa Ozturk.
Shortly after his release, Mahdawi addressed a group of supporters, saying, “I am not afraid of you.” Mahdawi told CBS News that he addressed Mr. Trump directly because there is a philosophy of intimidation and punitive justice, and he wanted to show them that they can do whatever they want. “You will not silence me.”
“I’m a peacemaker. “And when they arrested me, it was a red flag for everyone,” Mahdawi added.
Mahdawi had been in custody for about two weeks. He told CBS News that he arrived for his citizenship appointment in Vermont in mid-April, took a citizenship test, and signed a document stating his willingness to pledge allegiance to the Constitution.
He claimed that near the end of the process, immigration agents entered the office and detained him. Mahdawi said he’s not sure why they waited instead of arresting him as soon as he arrived.
“What I know is this is a betrayal to the Constitution of this country and to the process,” Mahdawi told reporters. “I did everything the right way. I went through the process.
I applied the correct way. I showed up for the interview. I shared and answered all of the questions truthfully. And I stated that I am willing to defend and protect the Constitution of this country.
Mahdawi, who helped lead Columbia’s protests against the Israel-Hamas war beginning in 2023, was detained under a rarely used law that allows the government to revoke visas for people whom the Secretary of State believes could have “adverse foreign policy consequences.”
Mahdawi called the Trump administration’s rationale for detaining him “laughable.”
“Is a person who has been vocally advocating for justice and peace undermining US policy?” he told CBS News on Monday.
Mahdawi is one of several student activists facing 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 on the same legal grounds, alleging the risk of “adverse foreign policy consequences.” Both students are suing separately for their release.
A letter signed by Rubio requesting Mahdawi’s deportation reads, “Mahdawi was identified at those protests as engaging in threatening rhetoric and intimidation of pro-Israeli bystanders.
However, in a video obtained by CBS News from November 2023, Mahdawi can be seen leading a crowd chanting “shame on you” to denounce a protester who made an antisemitic comment. He also stated in an interview with CBS News 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 revoking visas. In a statement last month, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricial McLaughlin stated that 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,” she stated.
Mahdawi has denied antisemitism allegations and stated that he stepped back from the protests before demonstrators formed encampments on Columbia’s campus and occupied a school building, resulting in widespread attention and criticism.
He sued in federal court for his release hours after being detained, claiming the move violated his First Amendment rights. Last Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release from federal custody, noting that Mahdawi had “made substantial claims that his detention is the result of retaliation for protected speech.”
Crawford is still reviewing Mahdawi’s petition for habeas corpus.
The appeals court will hear Mahdawi and Ozturk’s cases on Tuesday.
Mahdawi stated that after being released from custody, he felt reassured that justice would prevail and the system was functioning properly.
He also says he intends to continue protesting. “I was not afraid when they detained me. I wasn’t afraid when I got out of detention. And I’m not afraid to use my voice,” he stated.