Judge Blocks Deportation Of Palestinian Activist Who Led Protests At Columbia

NEW YORK — An migration judge has blocked nan Trump management from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian postgraduate student who led protests astatine Columbia University against Israel and nan warfare successful Gaza.

In a ruling made nationalist Tuesday, nan judge, Nina Froes, said she had terminated nan lawsuit because of a procedural misstep by authorities attorneys, who grounded to decently certify an charismatic archive they intended to usage arsenic evidence.

The Trump management whitethorn entreaty nan decision. But nan ruling marked nan latest setback for nan national government’s sweeping effort to expel pro-Palestinian field activists and others who expressed disapproval of Israel.

Last month, a abstracted migration judge blocked nan government’s effort to deport a Tufts University postgraduate student, Rümeysa Öztürk, complete an op-ed criticizing nan school’s consequence to nan warfare successful Gaza.

Mahdawi, a ineligible imperishable resident of nan U.S. for nan past decade, was calved successful a exile campy successful nan Israeli-occupied West Bank. He was arrested by migration agents during a citizenship question and reply past April, but he was released 2 weeks later by a national judge.

In nan months since, nan authorities has continued its effort to deport him, citing a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing noncitizens tin beryllium expelled from nan state if their beingness whitethorn undermine U.S. overseas argumentation interests.

Government attorneys submitted a photocopy of nan archive to nan migration judge, but they grounded to certify it arsenic required nether national law, nan judge wrote.

“I americium grateful to nan tribunal for honoring nan norm of rule and holding nan statement against nan government’s attempts to trample connected owed process,” Mahdawi said successful a connection released by his attorneys. “This determination is an important measurement towards upholding what fearfulness tried to destroy: nan correct to speak for bid and justice.”

Mahdawi has besides mounted a abstracted lawsuit successful national territory tribunal arguing that he was unlawfully detained. That lawsuit remains ongoing, his lawyers said.

In an emailed statement, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for nan Department of Homeland Security, formed Mahdawi arsenic a leader of “pro-terrorist riots” whose visa should beryllium revoked.

“No activistic judge, not this 1 aliases immoderate other, is going to extremity america from doing that,” she added.

Offenhartz writes for nan Associated Press.